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MEMOIRS 


OF  THE 


HON.   WALTER   LOWRIE 


EDITED  BY  HIS  SON 


NEW  YORK 
THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  CO 

5  AND  7  EAST  SIXTEENTH  STREET 
1896 


Copyright,  1896,  by 
THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  CO. 


PREFACE. 

THE  first  part  of  this  book  is  a  personal  narrative 
— from  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  to  Butler,  Penna.,  1784 
to  1810.  The  second  part  relates  chiefly  to  public  serv- 
ice— in  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States,  and  as  Secretary  of  the  United 
States  Senate — from  1811  to  1836.  Included,  accord- 

V) 

£;  ing  to  its  date  in  1830,  is  a  Treatise  on  Divine  Revela- 
^  tion,  presumably  from  Mr.  Lowrie's  pen.  The  third, 
•|  and  chief,  part  is  based  largely  on  the  writings  of 
§  Mr.  Lowrie — reports,  journals  and  correspondence ; 
and  also  on  personal  interviews  and  conversations  with 
$1  him  as  the  Corresponding  Secretary  for  thirty  years 
w  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 
§  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America. 

Referring  to  Dr.  Ashbel  Green's  History  of  Pres- 

c>    byterian  Missions,  1741  to  1838,  page  viii.,  where  a 

x    second  volume  of  the  History  is  adverted  to,  these 

§    Memoirs  do  not  take  its  place.    For  a  complete  his- 

jj!    tory,  an  immense  number  of  letters  on  file  in  the 

3     Mission  House  would  require  examination.    The  plan 

of  this  book  implies,   however,  a  full  acquaintance 

with  the  proceedings  of  the  Executive  Committee,  to 

be  referred  to  so  far  as  may  be  expedient.     The  cause 


448908 


iv  PREFACE. 

of  missions  was  greatly  favored  in  having  such  emi- 
nent clergymen  as  Drs.  Phillips,  Janeway,  McElroy, 
Spring,  and  others,  and  such  laymen  of  influence  as 
Messrs.  James  Lenox,  Walter  Lowrie,  David  W.  C. 
Olyphant,  and  others,  as  members  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  Their  meetings  were  held  every  Monday 
morning,  excepting  in  the  month  of  August.  They 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  church,  and  their  coun- 
cils were  prospered  from  on  high. 

The  editor  of  these  Memoirs  may  refer  to  the  priv- 
ilege of  his  being  connected  with  his  revered  father  for 
many  years  in  the  same  work.  This  resulted  from 
separate  appointments  by  the  Board,  which  were  not 
sought  for  by  either,  and  at  first  were  declined  by 
both;  but  which  eventually  led  to  their  occupying 
adjoining  oflices  in  the  Mission  House.  Previously 
they  had  been  separated,  when  one  of  them  went  as  a 
missionary  to  India,  in  1833,  neither  he  nor  his  wife 
expecting  to  return  to  this  country.  In  a  few  weeks 
after  arriving  at  Calcutta  she  was  called  to  her  heav- 
enly home — an  event  full  of  distress  to  the  survivor, 
though  of  joy  to  herself.  Their  esteemed  colleagues, 
after  some  months,  embarked  for  this  country,  under 
medical  orders  for  Mr.  Heed's  health  ;  but  he  de- 
parted this  life  soon  on  the  voyage.  His  classmate 
and  colleague  endeavored  to  fulfill  their  mission  by 
going  alone  to  the  selected  station,  at  Lodiana ;  but 
eventually  had  to  return  home  for  his  health.  Partially 


PREFACE.  V 

regaining  health,  he  applied  to  the  Board  to  be  sent 
again  to  his  field.  Under  medical  counsel,  this 
request  had  to  be  refused.  Service  as  a  pastor  was 
then  available ;  but  by  the  Board  it  was  considered 
that  the  time  spent  in  India  would  be  of  use  in  the 
Mission  House,  where  additional  service  was  already 
required.  He  was  thus  again  connected  with  his 
beloved  father;  and  for  thirty  years  it  was  his  great 
privilege  to  be  associated  with  him  in  his  work  for 
our  blessed  Lord.  For  nearly  as  long  a  period  he  has 
survived  him,  still  engaged  in  the  same  work.  Of 
late,  much  of  his  time  has  been  occupied  with  these 
Memoirs.  Imperfect  as  they  are,  may  they  be 
accepted  of  God,  and  be  useful  to  His  people! 

JOHN  C.  LOWKIE. 
63  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  1896. 


SUMMARY 


PAGE 


A  PERSONAL  NARRATIVE,  1784-1810,  ...  1 

PUBLIC  OR  Civic  LIFE,  1811-1836,   ...  20 

FAMILY  LIFE,  1806-1868, 28 

TREATISE  ON  DIVINE  REVELATION,  1830,        .  32 

FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SUBJECTS,  ....  82 

MISSIONS  AMONG  THE  INDIANS        .        .        .  134 

MEMORIALS, 173 

INDEX, 191 


MEMOIRS   OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 


A  PERSONAL  NARRATIVE. 


I  WAS  born  in  the  City  of  Edinburgh,  on  the  10th 
day  of  December,  1784,  of  poor,  respectable  and  pious 
parents.  My  father's  ancestors  for  several  genera- 
tions were  of  that  rigid  class,  the  Covenanters ;  but 
disliking  their  censorious  spirit,  he  left  them,  and 
joined  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  it  he  has  been 
a  member  from  early  age,  and  for  many  years  a  rul- 
ing elder.  He  is  a  man  of  strong  and  independent 
mind,  and,  though  only  a  common  English  scholar, 
during  a  long  life  he  has  acquired  a  great  deal  of 
useful  information.  In  every  place  where  he  has 
resided,  he  has  been  respected  and  esteemed,  and 
has  sustained  the  character  of  an  honest  and  relig- 
ious man. 

My  mother  was  from  the  Highlands,  and  belonged 
to  the  clan  of  the  Camerons.  Her  Celtic  ancestors 
for  hundreds  of  years  had  lived  and  died  amidst  the 
heather,  and  the  straths,  and  the  blue,  misty  lakes 
of  their  own  rugged  country.  Her  father  took  an 
active  part  under  Lochiel,  the  chieftain  of  the  clan, 
in  the  rebellion  of  1745,  and,  although  he  escaped 


2  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

with  his  life,  he  lost  all  his  property.  My  parents 
were  married  young — my  father  in  his  22d  year,  and 
my  mother  in  her  16th  year.  At  that  time  my 
mother  could  not  speak  a  word  of  English,  but  my 
father,  though  a  resident  of  the  Lowlands,  spoke  the 
Gaelic  fluently.  I  scarcely  know  an  excellence  of 
the  female  character  which  my  mother  does  not 
possess.  Kind,  affectionate  and  benevolent,  with 
deep  and  uniform  piety,  the  study  of  her  life  has 
been  to  make  her  husband  and  her  children  happy. 
My  father  is  warm  in  his  temper,  and  sometimes 
passionate.  My  mother  is  mildness  itself,  and 
judgment,  prudence  and  discretion  mark  her  every 
step. 

In  August,  1792,  my  father,  with  his  family, 
emigrated  to  the  United  States.  The  family  consisted 
of  a  brother  and  three  sisters  older  than  myself,  and 
a  brother  and  sister  younger.  Two  other  sisters 
were  afterwards  added  to  the  family.  After  a  pros- 
perous voyage,  we  landed  in  New  York  in  September. 
Here  my  father  left  the  family,  and  proceeded  on 
foot  to  Huntingdon  County,  Penn.,  where  one  of  his 
early  friends  resided,  and  where  he  purchased  a 
small  farm.  The  same  autumn  he  returned  to  New 
York,  and  removed  the  family  to  that  place.  This 
long  journey  was  to  be  made  in  wagons.  A  light 
wagon,  with  two  horses,  was  purchased,  and  a  wagon 
with  four  horses  was  hired,  and  in  these  the  family 
proceeded  slowly  on  their  way.  At  Harrisburg, 
enn.,  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  delayed  the  travellers  for 
some  days,  and  at  Clark's  Ferry,  on  the  Susque- 
hanna,  the  owner  of  the  hired  wagon  refused  to 
proceed  further.  The  most  necessary  articles  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  3 

baggage  were  put  into  the  light  wagon,  and  my 
brother  and  three  elder  sisters  had  to  walk  the  re- 
mainder of  the  journey,  over  100  miles.  Previous  to 
this  time,  my  mother  had  taught  me  to  read,  and  for 
three  succeeding  winters  I  was  sent  to  school — the 
whole  not  exceeding  ten  months.  With  these  oppor- 
tunities, I  learned  writing,  spelling,  arithmetic,  and 
some  knowledge  of  bookkeeping.  The  business  of 
farming  was  new  to  my  father,  and  my  brother,  seven 
years  older  than  myself,  was  a  total  stranger  to  every 
kind  of  labor.  My  father's  funds  were  all  expended 
on  the  journey  and  in  the  purchase  of  the  farm, 
which  was  but  partially  improved,  and  much  of  it 
stony  and  difficult  of  cultivation.  Under  these  dis- 
advantages, for  several  years,  many  were  the  difficul- 
ties incident  to  our  situation. 

In  my  thirteenth  year  I  was  strong  and  large  for 
my  age,  and  the  work  of  the  farm  was  no  trouble  to 
me.  The  next  year  I  was  a  young  man,  in  appear- 
ance at  least,  and  able  to  "make  a  hand,"  as  it  was 
called,  in  the  harvest-field,  and,  indeed,  in  most 
of  the  work  of  the  farm.  During  eight  years  that  we 
remained  in  Huntingdon  County,  my  opportunities 
of  improvement  were  very  limited.  My  father  had  a 
few  books,  all  of  which  I  read  with  care,  and  some  of 
them  twice  over.  Among  them  was  perhaps  the  first 
edition  of  Morse's  Geography,  in  two  large  volumes, 
8vo.  With  this  I  was  greatly  delighted,  and  spent 
many  a  long  winter  evening  in  its  careful  perusal. 
With  the  historical  books  of  the  Bible  I  was  well 
acquainted,  but  I  had  very  little  taste  for  the  New 
Testament  Scriptures. 

In  my  fifteenth  year  I  took  up  a  book  in  a  neigh- 


4  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

bour's  house,  merely  to  see  what  it  was.  The  first 
words  I  read,  were : 

"All  night  the  dreadless  angel,  nnperceived, 
Through  heaven's  wide  champlain  held  his  way  till  morn." 

I  was  literally  charmed  with  the  work,  and  forgot 
that  I  had  only  come  on  an  errand,  till  the  owner 
kindly  told  me  to  take  it  home.  This  inimitable 
poem  of  Milton's  was  perused  and  reperused  till  I 
could  recite  large  portions  of  it  from  memory.  The 
same  summer  I  first  saw  the  "Pilgrim's  Progress" 
and  the  "Holy  War,"  which  also  greatly  delighted 
me.  Again  and  again  since  that  time  have  I  read  all 
these  invaluable  and  original  works. 

In  the  year  1798  my  father  went  to  the  western 
part  of  the  State  to  view  the  country.  Next  year  he 
sold  his  small  farm  in  Huntingdon  county,  and  made 
a  purchase  near  the  Alleghany  River,  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  Butler  county.  I  pass  over  various 
hardships,  experienced  in  removing  his  large  family 
and  making  a  settlement  with  his  limited  means  in  a 
new  country.  Several  journeys  had  to  be  made  a  dis- 
tance of  about  two  hundred  miles,  and  across  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  in  order  that  the  cabin  on  the 
new  farm  might  be  enlarged,  the  summer  crop  raised, 
and  the  fall  grain  sowed.  In  the  last  of  these  journeys, 
my  parents  and  youngest  sister,  then  an  infant,  were  on 
horseback,  and  I  was  on  foot,  with  the  care  of  fifteen 
sheep  and  twenty-four  hogs.  The  slow  progress  we 
made  induced  me,  when  half  the  journey  was  made, 
to  insist  that  they  should  go  on  without  me,  and  I 
would  follow  as  the  flock  could  stand  the  travel. 
With  much  reluctance  they  complied,  and  on  the  9th 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  5 

of  December,  after  crossing  the  Laurel  Hill,  they 
left  me.  My  difficulties  commenced  next  day,  in 
crossing  Blacklock,  a  branch  of  the  Conemaugh,  on 
which  there  was  neither  bridge  nor  ferry-boat.  I  was 
obliged  to  wade  the  stream  three  times  before  I  could 
get  the  flock  over.  This  small  river  was  twenty-live 
or  thirty  yards  wide,  and  between  two  and  three  feet 
deep.  The  weather  was  excessively  cold ;  in  a  few 
minutes  my  wet  clothes  were  frozen,  and  it  was  two 
hours  before  I  could  reach  a  house  of  entertainment. 
On  the  evening  of  the  12th  I  reached  a  tavern,  five 
miles  from  the  Alleghany  river.  Early  the  next  day 
a  severe  fall  of  snow  commenced,  accompanied  with 
high  and  cold  wind.  With  all  the  exercise  necessary 
to  keep  the  flock  together,  I  could  with  difficulty 
keep  myself  warm,  and  it  seemed  sometimes  that  I 
must  perish  before  reaching  the  river.  When  I  came 
there,  nothing  could  be  seen  but  the  snow,  driven  in 
every  direction  by  the  wind.  The  ferry-boat  was  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  and,  to  my  repeated  calls, 
an  answer  was  at  last  returned,  that,  until  the  storm 
ceased,  they  would  not  venture  to  cross  the  river.  I 
was  now  cold  and  much  wearied  ;  the  nearest  house 
was  five  miles  distant,  and,  in  my  chilled  and  ex- 
hausted condition,  it  was  impossible  in  such  a  storm 
to  travel  back  those  long  and  weary  miles.  The 
snow  was  now  twelve  inches  deep,  much  drifted  in 
places,  and  still  increasing.  The  flock  was  aban- 
doned to  itself,  for  death  now  seemed  to  look  me 
in  the  face.  In  this  cheerless  state  I  determined 
to  make  one  more  effort  to  warm  myself,  by  running 
on  the  bank.  Whilst  thus  engaged,  during  a  slight 
lull  in  the  storm,  I  discovered  a  small  cabin  a  short 


6  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

distance  from  me  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  ravine, 
where  I  found  an  Irish  family  sitting  beside  a  good 
fire.  Their  hospitality  was  extended  to  me  with  a 
cordial  welcome,  and  the  best  refreshments  of  their 
frugal  board  were  set  before  me.  Having  obtained 
this  asylum  for  myself,  my  poor  flock  was  next  to  be 
cared  for.  My  host  went  with  me,  and  with  some 
difficulty  we  placed  it  in  a  small  field,  the  only 
one  he  had.  In  the  evening  the  snow  ceased  falling, 
but  the  river  was  so  full  of  broken  ice,  that  to  cross 
was  impossible.  In  the  meantime  my  parents  had 
reached  home,  thirty  miles  distant,  but  the  storm 
had  filled  them  with  great  anxiety  on  my  account. 
My  brother  was  sent  to  meet  me,  and  came  to  the 
west  side  of  the  river,  while  I  was  detained  on  the 
east.  Two  days  afterwards,  with  much  difficulty  and 
danger,  we  got  the  whole  flock  over  in  canoes.  My 
kind  host  was  fully  compensated,  and  with  many 
thanks.  I  felt,  indeed,  greatly  indebted  to  him,  and 
long  afterwards  it  was  in  my  power  to  show  his  sur- 
viving partner  that  I  had  not  forgotten  their  kind- 
ness, by  aiding  in  procuring  for  her  a  pension,  after 
the  death  of  her  husband,  while  serving  as  a  volun- 
teer in  the  War  of  1812. 

For  the  next  three  years,  few  incidents  occurred 
worth  relating.  My  brother,  having  received  a  severe 
injury  from  the  falling  of  a  tree,  which  unfitted  him 
for  the  time  for  labor,  went  to  New  York,  and  for 
some  time  taught  school  there  and  in  New  Jersey. 
The  labor  of  opening  and  clearing  the  farm,  and  of 
carrying  it  on,  then  devolved  almost  entirely  upon 
me.  Work,  to  me,  was  no  trouble.  My  days  were 
cheerful,  and  my  sleep  sound  at  night.  My  father 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  7 

was  an  industrious,  careful  man;  all  Ms  expenditures 
were  on  the  principles  of  strict  economy.  The  fields 
were  productive,  and  the  hand  of  diligence  brought 
plenty  and  abundance  around  his  peaceful  dwelling. 

In  the  summer  of  1802  we  built  a  sawmill,  and  in 
the  winter  I  sawed  lumber  to  the  amount  of  one  hun- 
dred dollars,  but  did  not  get  the  raft  to  Pittsburg, 
60  miles  distant,  the  only  market,  until  the  next 
Fall. 

For  nearly  three  years  there  was  no  preaching  in 
our  neighborhood,  nor  indeed  between  Pittsburg  and 
Erie,  about  120  miles;  except  on  a  few  missionary 
tours,  in  parts  of  this  region,  by  ministers  from  the 
older  parts  of  the  country.  In  1802  the  Rev.Wm. 
Morehead,  licentiate  preacher  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Bedstone,  spent  the  summer  in  this  destitute  coun- 
try, preaching  three  or  four  times  a  week  in  private 
houses,  or  barns,  or  in  the  open  air,  in  places  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  distant  from  each  other.  In  our  neigh- 
bourhood, and  indeed  wherever  he  went,  his  preaching 
made  a  decided  impression.  He  died  December, 
1802.  In  this  and  the  next  year,  twelve  Presbyterian 
preachers,  mostly  licentiates,  and  mostly  young  men, 
were  settled  in  the  northwestern  counties  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  few  of  the  adjoining  counties  of  Ohio. 
Most  of  them  had  studied  divinity  with  the  Rev. 
John  McMillen,  D.  D.,  of  Cannonsburg,  Penna. 
They  were  zealous,  earnest,  and,  most  of  them,  pop- 
ular preachers ;  their  coming  was  a  great  blessing  to 
this  large  and  destitute  field  of  work. 

In  1803  various  rumors  and  reports  reached  us  of 
revivals  of  religion  in  Kentucky  and  other  places,  ac- 
companied with  most  extraordinary  bodily  exercises. 


8  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

This  work  was  brought  to  our  neighbourhood  in  the 
summer,  when  I  saw  it  for  the  first  time.  The  sub- 
ject was  a  young  woman,  an  acquaintance  of  one  of 
my  sisters,  to  whose  home  I  had  come  on  a  visit  the 
day  before.  On  seeing  it  I  was  very  much  surprised, 
but  perfectly  at  a  loss  to  account  for  such  involun- 
tary agitation.  It  continued  during  the  whole  of  the 
sermon.  Nor  was  I  inattentive  to  the  words  of  the 
preacher,  the  Rev.  Robert  Lea.  He  spoke  with  great 
earnestness  and  solemnity,  and  every  word  seemed  to 
reach  my  heart.  There  was  left  a  deep  impression 
that  I  was  indeed  a  sinner  in  the  sight  of  God.  We 
had  regular  preaching  at  home  every  alternate  Sab- 
bath, and  every  sermon  deepened  my  distress  of 
mind.  Every  evening,  after  service,  our  pastor,  the 
Rev.  Robert  Johnston,  had  a  prayer-meeting  at  his 
own  house.  At  one  of  these  meetings  the  exercises 
of  my  mind  became  extremely  painful  and  distress- 
ing. Soon  after  the  service  had  commenced  I  was 
struck  with  this  extraordinary  influence,  as  were  sev- 
eral others  about  the  same  time.  To  convey  a  correct 
idea  of  this  sensation  to  others  is  perhaps  impossible. 
In  an  instant  I  felt  that  the  will  had  no  power  or  control 
over  the  muscles  of  the  body.  I  fell  backwards  and 
suffered  violent  agitations,  particularly  of  the  arms, 
the  muscles  of  the  breast,  and  upper  part  of  the  body. 
There  was  no  sickness,  no  pain,  and  the  faculties  of 
the  mind  were  not  the  least  obscured  ;  if  any  change 
was  felt,  it  seemed  to  be  in  an  acuteness  of  percep- 
tion, more  than  usual,  as  to  everything  around  me. 
Two  of  my  neighbours  immediately  raised  me,  and 
supported  me  between  them  during  the  evening. 
When  the  service  was  ended,  the  influence  left  me, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  9 

and  I  walked  home  with  several  others,  but  preferred 
to  be  silent  rather  than  to  converse  with  them.  For 
about  six  weeks  the  exercises  of  my  mind  were  pain- 
ful and  often  distressing.  I  then  obtained,  or  thought 
I  obtained,  "peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  I  know  not  that  further  details  would  pro- 
mote any  good  purpose.  It  may  be  very  satisfactory 
for  a  Christian  to  be  able  to  say:  "At  such  a  time 
and  place  I  was  born  again." 

I  do  not  doubt  but  there  are  such  cases.  I  do  not 
now  set  so  much  value  on  such  an  ability  as  I  did 
formerly ;  nor  do  I  know  that  any  Christian  was  ever 
able  to  derive  much  consolation  from  this  kind  of 
knowledge.  It  is  a  far  clearer  point  to  me,  that  the 
follower  of  Christ  Jesus  will  derive  more  true  comfort 
from  a  constant  discharge  of  his  duty  towards  God, 
and  towards  man,  in  the  exercises  of  faith,  and  under 
the  influence  of  deep  humility,  with  watchfulness  and 
prayer,  than  he  will  derive  by  looking  back  to  the 
state  of  his  feelings  at  the  time  of  his  supposed 
consecration  to  Christ.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  Christian 
to  have  his  evidences  always  bright,  and  when  they 
become  otherwise,  to  seek  again  the  highway  from 
which  he  has  departed.  For  the  soul  to  take  comfort 
when  in  a  cold  and  lifeless  state,  from  its  former 
experience,  is  a  comfort  not  free  from  danger,  and 
not,  at  least  very  clearly,  indicated  in  the  word  of 
God.  Had  David  quieted  his  fears,  after  the  murder 
of  Uriah,  by  referring  to  his  former  experience,  had 
he  even  taken  comfort  to  himself,  from  the  near  and 
intimate  communion  with  God,  he  had  often  experi- 
enced, we  are  warranted  in  saying  he  would  have 
shown  far  less  evidence  of  true  religion,  than  does  the 


10  MEMOIRS  Of  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

spirit  which  breathes  in  every  line  of  the  fifty-first 
psalm. 

About  the  time  I  obtained  a  hope  of  an  interest 
in  the  Saviour,  the  mysterious  influence,  which 
caused  the  bodily  agitation,  left  me.  Nor  was  I  ever 
subject  to  it  again.  In  the  Fall  of  the  same  year  I 
made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  it  has  been  my 
sincere  desire  to  live  agreeably  to  that  profession ; 
but,  alas  !  how  unfruitful  has  my  life  so  far  been  in 
the  eyes  of  a  pure  and  holy  God !  how  often  have  I 
departed  from  the  way  of  holiness !  But  by  His 
grace  I  remain  unto  this  day,  and  His  grace  is  still 
able  to  sustain  me  to  the  close  of  life,  and  give  me  an 
abundant  entrance  to  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
light. 

I  may  add  here  a  few  lines  in  reference  to  the 
strange  bodily  exercise  which  at  that  period  was  so 
very  general.  My  knowledge  in  regard  to  it,  in  our 
own  church,  and  in  those  adjacent,  was  minute  and 
exhaustive.  Being  myself  a  subject  of  it,  there  was 
no  reserve  in  conversing  with  others  under  the  same 
influence.  Much  was  said  and  written  on  both  sides 
of  the  question,  some  contending  that  it  was  the  work 
of  God,  and  others  that  it  was  the  work  of  the  devil ; 
the  first  were  too  sanguine  in  their  expectations  of 
good  in  the  results  which  were  to  follow ;  the  last 
made  a  great  mistake  by  condemning  the  whole  work 
in  advance  without  waiting  to  try  it  by  its  fruits. 
Among  all  the  individuals  with  whom  I  conversed, 
not  one  was  found,  that  in  a  greater  or  less  degree, 
had  not  a  personal  conviction  of  sin.  If  this  fact  be 
admitted,  it  will  follow,  that  up  to  this  point,  it  was 
a  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  With  many,  however, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  11 

the  conviction  was  very  slight,  and  continued  but  a 
short  time.  Some,  whose  convictions  were  deep  and 
distressing,  were  freed  also  from  their  distress,  and 
returning  to  their  former  careless  course,  gave  sad 
evidence,  by  their  increased  love  of  worldly  pleasure, 
how  little  advantage  they  had  derived  from  their 
previous  exercises  of  mind.  A  few  became  in  a  short 
time  more  openly  profane  than  at  any  former  period 
of  their  lives.  But  others,  consisting  of  a  large  num- 
ber, from  the  age  of  twelve  up  to  seventy  years,  by  a 
Christian  walk  and  conversation,  have  given  evidence 
of  true  piety.  There  is  no  doubt  that,  in  the  excite- 
ment which  influenced  so  many  minds  at  once,  there 
were  many  false  hopes  and  expectations,  founded 
on  anything  but  the  sure  word  of  unerring  truth. 
These  are  perhaps  attendant  more  or  less  on  every 
general  revival  of  religion.  When  the  wheat  is  sown, 
then  cometh  the  enemy  and  soweth  tares.  Speaking 
of  the  work  as  a  whole,  I  have  no  difficulty  in  calling 
it  a  revival  of  religion,  and  such  a  one  as  every  Chris- 
tian should  rejoice  to  see,  although  attended  with 
circumstances  which  induced  many  who  did  not,  and 
who  would  not,  examine  it,  to  preach  and  to  pray 
against  it. 

Soon  after  my  mind  was  relieved  from  the  distress 
and  pressure  under  which  I  labored,  I  felt  a  strong 
desire  to  study  for  the  ministry.  For  some  time  this 
feeling  was  confined  to  myself,  but,  being  able  to  think 
of  nothing  else,  I  made  known  the  state  of  my  mind 
to  my  father.  He  did  not  discourage  me,  but  pointed 
out  the  difficulties  which  lay  in  the  way  of  my  educa- 
tion. He  had  it  not  in  his  power  to  assist  me  ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  needed  my  assistance  at  home.  Deep 


12  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

and  anxious  were  my  reflections  on  this  subject,  but 
the  way  was  dark,  and  difficulties,  apparently  insur- 
mountable, presented  themselves  on  every  side.  In 
the  month  of  December  the  river  rose,  and  I  took  the 
boards,  previously  sawed,  to  Pittsburg.  I  found  a 
ready  market,  and,  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
this  article,  I  saw  the  possibility  of  procuring  means 
to  prosecute  my  studies,  and  I  returned  home  with 
the  settled  determination,  of  devoting  my  whole  atten- 
tion to  that  one  object.  In  the  first  place,  I  saw  that 
it  was  necessary  to  assist  in  making  such  arrange- 
ments for  my  father  as  would  make  his  family  com- 
fortable ;  and  it  was  determined  to  build  a  grist  mill. 
My  brother  had  previously  returned  from  New  Jersey, 
and,  with  some  assistance  from  a  millwright,  he  under- 
took that  part  of  the  work.  Building  the  mill-house, 
farming,  and  preparing  more  boards  for  market,  was 
the  work  assigned  to  me  for  the  year.  All  my  exer- 
tions for  that  period  were  intended  chiefly  for  the 
benefit  of  my  father  ;  he  had  given  me  150  acres  for  a 
farm,  poor  indeed,  and  unimproved,  but  I  expected 
it  would  sell  for  something,  and  with  other  means 
assist  me  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge.  The  sum- 
mer of  1804  was  passing  away,  and  in  August  it  be- 
came evident  that  the  grist  mill  could  not  be  fin- 
ished before  the  new  year.  This  was  a  discouraging 
consideration,  as  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  com- 
mence the  Latin  grammar  in  October.  In  the  begin- 
ning of  September  I  was  attacked  with  a  severe  sick- 
ness. 

Returning  home  on  foot,  night  overtook  me  when 
I  had  four  miles  to  travel.  The  road,  which  was  only 
a  path,  lay  through  a  forest,  and  the  night  being 
quite  dark,  I  soon  lost  it.  After  seeking  in  vain  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  13 

find  the  path,  I  lay  down  at  the  root  of  a  tree,  and, 
being  weary,  soon  fell  asleep.  A  slight  rain  fell  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  at  daylight  I  found  myself  faint 
and  cold,  and  pained  with  a  lightness  in  my  head, 
never  before  experienced.  I  got  home  early,  and 
assisted  in  bringing  in  the  last  of  our  harvest.  In  the 
afternoon  I  was  attacked  with  an  intermittent  fever, 
so  violent  that  in  three  days  there  was  no  hope  of  my 
recovery.  On  the  fifth  day  I  was  too  weak  to  speak, 
though  quite  sensible  to  everything  around  me.  On 
the  evening  of  the  sixth  day,  about  midnight,  I  be- 
lieved I  was  dying,  and  for  an  hour  I  could  not  tell 
whether  the  pains  of  death  were  not  already  passed. 
This  was  the  crisis  of  the  disease.  About  two  o'clock  I 
fell  asleep,  and  in  the  morning  was  evidently  better. 
During  the  first  two  days  I  felt  much  peace  of  mind, 
although  the  sickness  was  known  to  be  very  serious. 
But  when  hope  was  given  up,  I  had  many  serious 
conflicts.  My  father  conversed  freely  with  me,  and 
suggested  many  precious  thoughts,  which  gave  me 
strength  and  comfort.  Still,  I  felt  that  it  was  indeed 
a  solemn  thing  to  die.  After  the  favorable  crisis,  my 
health  and  strength  gradually  returned.  My  sick- 
ness had  much  delayed  the  work  we  had  on  hand ; 
it  was  now  October,  and  much  remained  to  be  done. 
My  father  thought  he  could  succeed  without  further 
assistance  from  me,  and  that  it  was  now  proper  for 
me  to  turn  my  attention  to  my  own  pursuits.  On  the 
8th  of  October,  1804,  with  the  blessing  of  both  my 
parents,  I  left  their  peaceful  abode  ;  the  tears  of  my 
beloved  mother  flowed  in  abundance,  while  she 
prayed  that  the  peace  of  the  living  God  might  rest 
upon  me.  For  more  than  a  year  I  had  longed  for  the 
time  when  I  could  commence  the  rudiments  of  an 


14  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

education,  but  now,  when  that  time  had  arrived,  I 
felt  a  pain  and  reluctance  in  leaving  my  parents 
which  I  had  not  anticipated.  The  prospect  before 
me  was  well  calculated  to  induce  discouragement. 
Near  the  age  of  twenty  years,  I  was  about  to  begin  a 
long  course  of  study  without  one  dollar,  and  without 
the  means  of  procuring  any,  except  by  the  hard  and 
laborious  process  of  sawing  boards,  and  taking  them 
one  hundred  miles,  by  the  river,  to  market.  It  was 
uncertain  whether,  without  my  assistance,  my  father 
could  finish  his  mill ;  and,  without  it,  the  family 
could  not  subsist  in  comfort. 

With  these  feelings,  I  commenced  the  study  of  the 
Latin  Grammar  with  the  Rev.  Robert  Johnston,  who 
resided  six  miles  from  my  father's.  Two  young  men, 
my  neighbors,  Mr.  Redick,  and  Mr.  Crawford,  had 
commenced  with  him  a  month  before,  and,  by  intense 
application,  I  was  soon  placed  in  the  same  class  with 
them. 

I  remained  four  weeks  with  Mr.  Johnston,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  my  health  and  strength  were  perfectly 
restored.  Every  Saturday  I  returned  home  and  stayed 
till  Monday.  On  viewing  the  situation  of  my  father, 
I  was  convinced  that  it  was  my  duty  to  return  home, 
and  assist  in  placing  him  in  more  comfortable  circum- 
stances. During  the  winter  we  finished  the  mill,  and 
in  the  spring,  I  took  $100  worth  of  lumber  to  market. 
The  most  of  the  sum  was  expended  in  necessaries  for 
the  family,  a  small  part  of  it  in  clothing  and  books 
for  myself.  On  the  1st  of  May,  I  again  returned  to 
Mr.  Johnston,  where  Messrs.  Redick  and  Crawford 
still  remained.  They  were  now  far  before  me,  but  I 
hoped  to  overtake  them  before  winter.  Their  cir- 
cumstances, however,  enabled  them  to  go  to  an  excel- 


A  UTOBIOGRAPHY.  1 5 

lent  academy  in  Beaver  County,  and  I  was  soon  left  to 
pursue  my  studies  alone.  The  ministerial  labors  of 
two  congregations,  twelve  miles  apart,  necessarily 
obliged  Mr.  Johnston  to  be  much  from  home.  My 
situation  for  improvement,  therefore,  was  not  very 
favorable.  In  these  circumstances  it  seemed  best  that 
I  should,  if  possible,  go  to  the  Rev.  John  McPherrin 
who  was  a  finished  scholar,  and  already  had  much  ex- 
perience in  teaching  the  classics  in  Westmoreland 
County,  where  he  formerly  resided.  In  July  I  went 
to  see  him,  and  made  known  my  situation  and  wishes 
to  him  without  reserve  or  concealment.  My  situation 
interested  him,  and  he  expressed  his  willingness  to 
take  charge  of  my  education.  It  was  necessary,  how- 
ever, that  I  should  build  a  cabin,  in  which  I  could 
have  my  books  and  my  bed,  as  his  family  was  large, 
and  his  house  too  small  for  themselves.  It  was 
now  the  1st  of  August,  and  before  I  could  take  up 
my  books,  I  had  my  cabin  to  build,  and  by  some 
means  liquidate  my  account  with  Mr.  Johnston,  and 
also  provide  some  clothing  for  the  winter.  I,  there- 
fore, returned  home  and  wrought  thirty  days  for  a 
neighbour  at  fifty  cents  a  day,  and  then  cut  as  many 
saw  logs  as,  when  sawed  and  taken  to  market,  would 
pay  my  boarding,  and  expenses  for  the  next  winter. 
In  October  I  built  a  neat  cabin  of  logs,  twelve  feet 
square,  with  a  chimney  in  one  end,  built  of  cat  and  clay. 
This  was  finished  early  in  November,  and  I  returned 
home,  seventeen  miles  distant,  to  assist  my  father  in 
building  a  fire-house  over  the  water-wheel  of  the  mill. 
It  was  with  great  reluctance  he  received  my  assist- 
ance as  the  time  was  past  when  I  expected  to  have 
been  at  my  books,  but  the  necessity  of  the  measure 
was  urgent  because,  without  it,  the  mill  would  have 


16  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

been  impeded  by  the  frost  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
winter.  On  the  19th  of  November,  1805,  we  had  the 
house  completed,  and  next  day  I  once  more  bade  adieu 
to  my  parents,  and  early  the  same  day  reached  Mr. 
McPherrin's,  where  I  was  cordially  received. 

I  had  now  resumed  my  studies,  with  better  hopes 
and  prospects  than  at  any  time  heretofore,  and  the 
most  unremitting  attention  and  diligence  were  be- 
stowed upon  my  books.  I  went  to  bed  between  ten 
and  eleven,  and  always  rose  at  four  in  the  morning. 
At  five  Mr.  McPherrin  came  to  hear  me  recite.  In 
the  winter  this  was  long  before  day,  but  he  was 
always  in  the  habit  of  rising  at  five  o'clock.  Except- 
ing at  breakfast  and  family  prayers,  I  was  not  seen 
out  of  my  study-house  until  dinner-time,  about  one 
o'clock.  I  then,  for  two  hours,  assisted  the  boys  in 
their  work,  of  which  providing  firewood  was  the 
principal  part.  I  had  then  the  evening  undisturbed 
until  ten  o'clock.  In  a  large  log  house,  such  as  the 
family  occupied,  it  was  necessary  in  the  winter  to 
keep  a  large  fire  burning  day  and  night,  and  hence 
the  consumption  of  fuel  was  very  great.  Every 
Saturday  afternoon  I  assisted  them  in  hauling  from 
the  fields  a  stock  for  the  ensuing  week.  In  working 
in  wood  I  had  acquired  a  good  degree  of  skill,  and  I 
could  do  many  things  that  would  have  required  a 
carpenter.  I  was  scarcely  a  moment  unemployed, 
and  was  glad  to  be  useful,  and  performed  these  serv- 
ices most  cheerfully;  and  as  the  farm  was  unim- 
proved, and  the  barn  and  outbuildings  were  out  of 
order,  many  repairs  were  needed.  Out  of  doors  Mr. 
McPherrin  was  often  with  me,  and  treated  me  with 
the  utmost  kindness  and  regard.  Many  clergymen  in 
passing  staid  a  night  with  us,  and  generally  shared 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  17 

a  part  of  my  bed.  One  of  these  mentioned  my  pre- 
ceptor's warm  satisfaction  with  my  progress  in  study. 
By  this  time  I  was  fully  satisfied  that  with  diligence 
and  perseverance  I  could  master  these  three  languages 
— the  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew — without  further  in- 
struction. The  months  of  April  and  May,  1807,  found 
me  again  engaged  at  the  sawmill.  This  I  intended 
to  be  the  last  work  of  the  kind,  because  the  labor  was 
so  severe,  I  feared  its  effects  on  my  constitution. 
The  proceeds,  after  paying  all  my  debts,  left  me  forty 
dollars,  which  I  gave  to  my  father.  On  my  return 
through  Butler,  I  made  arrangements  to  take  up  an 
English  school  there.  On  the  17th  of  June,  1807,  I 
took  leave  of  Mr.  McPherrin  and  his  amiable  family, 
and,  without  money,  with  only  a  few  books  and  a 
few  clothes,  took  up  my  residence  in  Butler,  intend- 
ing to  sojourn  there  for  a  year. 

My  school  consisted  of  forty  scholars,  all  learning 
the  common  branches  of  an  English  education.  The 
tuition  was  six  dollars  per  annum  each,  while  my 
boarding  and  washing  cost  me  one  hundred  dollars. 
I  had,  however,  nearly  the  half  of  the  day  to  myself, 
and  I  found  the  teaching  to  be  more  like  recreation 
than  labour.  I  soon  got  the  good  will  of  my  pupils. 
They  were  of  both  sexes,  and  some  of  them  were 
young  men  and  young  women.  I  became  much  inter- 
ested in  them,  and  their  parents  were  quite  satisfied 
with  their  improvement.  I  found  no  difficulty,  and 
indeed  not  much  hindrance  in  the  study  of  Latin  and 
Greek,  but  for  want  of  Hebrew  books  no  progress 
was  then  made  in  that  language.  In  October,  unso- 
licited, I  received  the  appointment  of  Clerk  to  the 
County  Commissioners,  at  a  salary  of  eighty  dollars 
a  year,  these  oflicers  kindly  permitting  me  to  be 


18  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

absent  during  school  hours  on  condition  that  I  would 
bring  up  the  business  in  the  evening. 

The  preceding  autobiographical  narrative  was 
written  in  the  winter  of  1824-25.  With  omissions,  it 
is  now  printed,  as  giving  information  concerning  the 
life  and  character  treated  of  in  this  volume. 

The  school  in  Butler  did  not  imply  that  the  call  to 
the  ministry  had  been  laid  aside.  It  was  as  yet  in 
its  earlier  stages,  a  strong  desire,  a  purpose,  if  it  were 
the  will  of  the  Lord;  but  not  as  yet  so  far  settled  as 
to  be  brought  to  the  consideration  of  the  Presbytery 
— according  to  the  usual  rule.  Providential  circum- 
stances led  to  some  delay. 

Afterwards  it  became  evident  that  other  lines  of 
duty  required  attention,  leading  to  public  service  as 
a  layman,  and  later  still  to  his  long  life-work — as 
hereinafter  related. 

Several  months  after  taking  charge  of  the  school, 
January  14,  1808,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Amelia 
McPherrin,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  and  Mrs.  Mary 
McPherrin,  of  Butler  County,  Penna. 

In  1808  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowrie  made  their  home  in 
Butler,  the  chief  town  of  Butler  County,  Penna.  It 
was  then  a  small  but  pleasant  village  of  a  few  hun- 
dred inhabitants ;  now  it  is  one  of  the  important 
towns  of  the  State.  Besides  his  school  and  the  Com- 
missioners' clerkship,  opportunities  of  surveying 
lands,  and  of  aiding  to  settle  land  titles  and  claims,  were 
available — at  first  in  a  limited  degree — the  country 
was  newly  inhabited.  Proprietors  of  large  sections 
of  land  lived  in  the  eastern  parts  of  the  State  ;  new 
settlers,  as  farmers  and  as  tenants,  were  coming  into 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  19 

the  western  counties  ;  a  thorough  knowledge  of  "  land 
questions,"  coupled  with  growing  reputation  for 
integrity,  ability,  energy  and  sympathy,  were  good 
conditions  of  success  in  business  life.  The  sterling 
character  of  his  venerable  father,  a  farmer  and  mill- 
owner,  and  an  honoured  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  contributed  not  a  little  to  his  son's  being 
welcomed  in  his  plans  of  self-support.  To  these  good 
conditions  may  well  be  added  the  lovely  character 
and  grace  of  his  wife,  known  to  many  as  the  daughter 
of  an  admirable  mother  and  of  the  most  eminent 
clergyman  in  the  county.  Referring  to  public  life,  it 
was  no  doubt  the  growing  acquaintance  of  the  young 
teacher  with  the  farming  people  and  their  interests 
in  the  northwestern  counties,  that  led  largely  to  his 
election  in  1811  as  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Legislature — in  the  House  of  Representatives  one 
year,  and  in  the  Senate  six  years.  In  1818,  while  still 
in  the  Senate,  he  was  elected  as  a  member  of  the 
United  States  Senate,  full  term. 


IN  PUBLIC  OR  CIVIC  LIFE. 

IT  is  the  plan  of  this  book  to  give  but  brief  ac- 
counts of  public  or  civic  affairs  in  which  Mr.  Lowrie 
was  now  engaged.  These  are  accessible  in  the  Jour- 
nals or  Minutes  of  the  two  Legislatures  and  in  the 
newspaper  reports  of  their  proceedings.  General  in- 
terest in  most  of  those  subjects  has  long  since  passed 
away.  Yet  the  earlier  years  of  the  century,  now  near 
its  end,  were  largely  the  formative  period  of  the  great 
central  west  of  our  country,  extending  from  the  Alle- 
ghany  Mountains  in  Pennsylvania  westward.  It  was 
of  the  greatest  importance  that  both  the  State  and 
the  National  councils  should  contain  members  well 
acquainted  with  all  matters  of  public  interest.  And 
many  of  them  were  such  men  in  a  high  degree. 

In  Western  Pennsylvania,  with  special  enactments 
of  the  Legislature  cordially  granted,  the  subjects  of 
Land  Titles  and  Taxation,  Public  Roads,  Navigation 
of  Rivers,  Common  Schools,  Colleges,  etc.,  received 
almost  special  favour  from  the  State.  Among  other 
things,  an  unusual  Commission  was  organized,  consist- 
ing of  a  State  member  from  each  of  five  States :  Penn- 
sylvania, Virginia,  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  of 
which  Mr.  Lowrie  was  chairman.  The  Commission  em- 
ployed a  sufficient  number  of  qualified  agents  and 
labourers,  to  survey  the  Ohio  river,  from  Pittsburgh  to 
Louisville,  some  700  miles  ;  and  to  remove  obstacles  to 
its  better  navigation,  so  far  as  practicable.  Each  of 
these  States  was  in  a  more  or  less  degree  favorable  to 
this  object,  owing  to  its  own  borders  on  this  river. 
It  was  a  measure  that  required  skillful  and  difficult 


IN  PUBLIC  LIFE.  21 

labour  and  much  fatigue,  for  several  months,  and 
considerable  expense ;  but  it  was  one  of  far-seeing 
wisdom  and  great  benefit — not  only  to  the  five  States, 
but  to  other  large  sections  of  the  country,  west, 
northwest  and  southwest. 

Later  "improvements"  have,  no  doubt,  since  been 
made  ;  but  these  showed  a  wise  energy  and  forecast 
for  that- early  day.  And  to  the  Ohio,  or  "Beautiful 
River,"  as  the  Indians  called  it,  may  now  be  added  the 
great  commercial  value  of  its  chief  aifluents,  the  Alle- 
ghany  and  the  Monongahela,  besides  its  lesser  tribu- 
taries. Few  systems  of  river  navigation  combine  use- 
fulness and  beauty  to  so  great  a  degree. 

FROM   A   STATE  TO   THE  NATIONAL   SENATE. 

IN  the  change  from  Harrisburg  to  Washington, 
Mr.  Lowrie  found  his  duties  similar  in  some  respects, 
but  quite  different  in  others.  In  the  former,  the  State 
and  its  local  interests  chiefly  occupied  his  attention ; 
in  the  latter,  broader,  more  varied,  national  and 
foreign,  as  well  as  home,  matters  required  careful 
study.  The  members  of  the  National  Senate,  more- 
over, had  been  brought  up  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  and  in  differing  family  and  social  circum- 
stances ;  but  in  cases  not  a  few  the  home  training, 
education,  social  and  religious  life  of  the  senators  had 
been  very  similar.  They  were  all  proud  of  their 
national  history,  and  full  of  hope  as  to  the  future. 
They  were  Americans,  all.  It  was  no  doubt  an  advan- 
tage to  the  member  from  Pennsylvania  that  he  had 
been  a  member  of  its  Senate.  Much  depends  on  prac- 
tical experience  in  the  dispatch  of  legislative  busi- 
ness. The  business  itself,  its  bearings,  progress  and 


22  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

results  need  to  be  well  considered  in  the  light  of  gen- 
eral principles  and  previous  knowledge.  Of  course, 
fairness,  courtesy,  kindness — in  brief,  the  observance 
of  the  Golden  Rule — should  mark  the  personal  inter- 
course of  the  members  of  a  legislative  assembly,  and 
greatly  influence  their  public  action. 

At  Washington  many  subjects  required  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Upper  House.  Some  of  them  were 
matters  of  routine,  such  as  the  confirmation  of  ap- 
pointments to  public  office  ;  even  these  were  often  of 
great  moment.  Some  of  these  subjects  were  peculiar 
to  our  country,  such  as  the  organization  of  Territories 
on  the  frontier,  and  the  admission  of  new  States  to 
the  Union.  Others  were  the  national  finances,  public 
lands,  Indian  affairs,  foreign  commerce,  and  many 
more.  In  1819-23  slavery  or  anti-slavery  in  the  Terri- 
tories became  a  very  urgent  subject,  growing  out  of 
the  application  of  settlers  in  the  Territory  of  Missouri 
to  be  received  into  the  Union  as  a  slaveholding  State. 
Most,  if  not  all,  of  the  Southern  States  contended  for 
the  right  of  holding  slaves  in  a  Territory,  and  as  a 
State.  This  was  strongly  opposed  by  the  Northern 
States.  The  discussion  of  the  subject  in  both  Houses 
of  Congress  was  long,  earnest,  and  at  times  ominous 
of  "  the  breaking  up  of  the  Union."  In  these  discus- 
sions, as  a  member  representing  one  of  the  central 
border  States,  and  having  clear  convictions  of  what 
was  right  in  itself,  as  well  as  best  for  the  country,  Mr. 
Lowrie  could  not  but  take  a  decided  part — adverse  to 
the  extension  of  slaveholding.  But,  known  as  a  man 
of  firm,  yet  not  aggressive  nor  partisan,  views,  and 
being  on  good  terms  socially  with  his  fellow  mem- 
bers, his  influence  would  be  recognized  as  not  un- 
friendly, while  yet  as  sure  to  be  exerted  in  favour  of 


IN  PUBLIC  LIFE.  23 

liberty.  The  so-called  "Missouri  Compromise" 
ended  the  discussions  of  1820.  He  had  actively  sup- 
ported what  he  conscientiously  considered  the  right 
side  of  the  subject;  and  he  closed  one  of  his  speeches, 
after  expressing  deep  regret  at  the  troubled  outlook 
as  to  the  dissolution  of  the  Union  by  saying:  "If  the 
alternative  be  this:  either  dissolution  of  the  Union, 
or  the  extension  of  slavery  over  this  whole  western 
country,  I  for  one  will  choose  the  former." 

On  Standing  Committees  it  is  interesting  to  note 
that  of  the  Committee  of  Finance,  evidently  one  of 
the  most  important,  Mr.  Lowrie  was  a  member  for  six 
years;  on  Public  Lands,  six  years;  on  Indian  Affairs, 
one  year;  besides  others.  A  reader  of  the  Senate's 
proceedings,  in  the  official  and  newspaper  reports, 
would  seldom  find  that  he  made  long  speeches,  though 
in  some  instances  they  were  quite  extended,  and 
always  worthy  of  their  subjects.  Brief  remarks  by 
him  were  common,  attractive,  always  appropriate. 
Evidently  he  gave  close  attention  to  the  business  in 
hand,  and  as  a  rule  he  was  always  in  his  place.  He 
was  on  kind  terms  with  all,  so  far  as  was  known,  and 
was  on  intimate  terms  of  friendship  with  several 
members — some  of  them  those  best  known  to  the 
country,  including  several  from  southern  and  western 
States.  His  own  judgment  was  that  the  Senate  in- 
cluded in  its  membership  many  of  the  best  men,  as  to 
character,  ability,  and  all  qualifications  needful  to 
secure  the  highest  confidence  of  their  neighbours  at 
home  and  their  countrymen  at  large. 

One  of  his  constituents  in  Pennsylvania  wrote  to 
him,  about  this  time,  asking  the  favour  of  his  recom- 
mendation to  the  President  for  an  appointment  to 
some  office.  Most  members  of  Congress  are  burdened 


24  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

with  requests  of  this  same  kind.  On  mentioning  the 
case,  without  urging  it,  the  President,  in  reply,  read 
to  him  a  letter  which  he  had  received  from  a  distin- 
guished general,  counselling  him  to  adopt  the  policy 
of  making  official  appointments  from  both  the  leading 
political  parties  of  the  country.  Eventually  this 
counsel  became  known  to  the  public,  and  was  criti- 
cised after  the  general  had  become  a  candidate  for  a 
high  office.  The  President  was  then  inquired  of  in 
regard  to  the  letter ;  but  he  had  no  recollection  of  it 
— virtually  a  denial  of  having  received  such  a  letter. 
The  general  did  not  remember  having  written  it.  He 
was  not  then  in  public  life,  and  might  easily  have  for- 
gotten it.  The  subject  was  taken  up  by  the  party 
newspapers.  The  senator  was  violently  criticised  for 
reporting  that  such  a  letter  had  been  received,  when 
the  President  knew  nothing  of  it ;  and  although  he 
had  taken  little  interest  in  the  case,  his  name  was  not 
the  less  denounced. 

But  it  had  so  happened  that  the  President  had 
read  the  same  letter  to  at  least  two  of  the  senators, 
both  from  Pennsylvania — one  of  them,  Mr.  Lacock, 
the  other,  Mr.  Roberts,  both  of  them  gentlemen  of 
the  highest  character  and  standing.  All  three  con- 
curred in  their  statements  of  the  facts  of  the  case — 
the  two  ex-senators  unqualifiedly;  and  also  that  no- 
thing whatever  was  said  by  the  President  of  any  letter 
as  being  intended  for  private  use.  These  statements 
were  made  public  at  that  time. 

This  case  was  doubtless  well  understood  by  the 
members  of  the  U.  S.  Senate ;  and  most  of  them,  prob- 
ably all  of  them,  were  aware  that  Mr.  Lowrie  would  not 
return  to  Washington  as  a  senator ;  and  also  that  he 
was  not  a  candidate  for  any  office.  The  office  of  secre- 


IN  PUBLIC  LIFE.  25 

tary  of  the  Senate,  then  almost  an  office  for  life,  was 
soon  to  become  vacant.  It  was  then  an  office  which 
required  its  incumbent  to  possess  qualifications  in  most 
respects  similar  to  those  of  the  senators  themselves, 
and  to  be  efficient  and  trustworthy  in  the  highest  de- 
gree. To  this  office  he  was  elected  by  a  large  vote  of 
the  Senate,  December  25,  1825.  This  office  was  ac- 
cepted, and  its  duties  immediately  entered  upon.  It 
was  not  an  office  that  involved  frequent  and  painful 
separations  from  his  family.  Washington  City  be- 
came chiefly  their  home ;  though  they  spent  their 
summer  months  at  their  former  residence  in  Butler. 

COLONIZATION   SOCIETY — CHINESE  LANGUAGE. 

While  in  Washington  Mr.  Lowrie  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  American 
Colonization  Society  ;  which  he  favoured  with  his  pen, 
his  counsels  and  other  services.  A  weekly  meeting 
for  prayer  was  held  at  his  house  during  sessions  of 
Congress,  which  was  welcomed  by  some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  different  religious  denominations,  and  re- 
garded with  real  interest.  There  also  a  Congressional 
Temperance  Society  was  organized. 

His  linguistic  talents  were  somewhat  remarkable. 
The  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew  languages  were  prob- 
ably better  known  by  him  than  by  many  clergymen. 
When  about  forty  years  of  age,  he  took  up  the 
Chinese  language,  in  addition  to  his  previous  engage- 
ments ;  and  in  a  few  years  he  had  made  such  progress 
in  this  peculiar  language,  as  to  make  translations  of 
the  simpler  Chinese  works.  The  knowledge  thus 
acquired  was,  of  course,  imperfect,  but  it  became 
practically  important  afterwards,  as  enabling  him  to 


26  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

appreciate  the  method  of  printing  Chinese  books  on 
divisible  metallic  types,  instead  of  the  carved  solid 
wooden  blocks,  engraved.  The  remarkably  conserva- 
tive Chinese  do  not  yet  generally  adopt  this  new  and 
great  invention,  adhering  to  their  old  customs ;  but 
the  new  method  is  in  practical  use  on  a  large  scale. 
It  is  already  employed  largely  in  printing  stereotype 
editions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  other  books  in 
Chinese.  Further  particulars  may  be  found  in  Dr. 
Green's  Presbyterian  Missions,  page  178. 

CARE  FOR  AGED   PARENTS. 

In  the  town  of  Butler,  an  elder  brother  of  Mr. 
Lowrie,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Pittsburgh,  united 
with  him  in  opening  a  store  for  miscellaneous  goods, 
providing  the  capital  for  it,  and  engaging  for  its  man- 
agement a  well-qualified  agent.  It  was  kept  up  for 
some  years  with  satisfactory  success,  and  then  dis- 
posed of  without  loss — neither  of  the  proprietors  hav- 
ing sufficient  time  at  command  to  meet  its  require- 
ments. 

One  of  their  objects  was  to  make  a  home  for  their 
now  aged  parents,  whose  large  family  of  sons  and 
daughters  had  all  been  married  and  settled  in  homes 
of  their  own,  hardly  any  of  them  near  the  old  home- 
stead. For  the  venerable  parents  a  pleasant  cottage 
had  been  built  by  the  younger  brother  on  his  own 
ground  in  the  village,  not  far  from  the  store ;  and 
occupation  was  given  to  his  still  vigorous  mind  by 
having  a  certain  charge  of  its  business.  The  editor 
of  this  memoir,  then  a  student  in  the  Academy,  was 
also  assigned  to  the  store  for  a  few  hours  daily, 
chiefly  as  'company'  for  his  revered  grandfather. 


ZZV  PUBLIC  LIFE.  27 

It  was  probably  of  much  greater  benefi  to  the  grand- 
son than  to  his  aged  relative,  whose  wise  and  kind 
counsels  were  invaluable ;  though  the  opportunity 
of  gaining  some  knowledge  of  business  matters  was 
prized.  At  first  the  grandparents  were  delighted 
with  these  arrangements ;  but  after  trial  of  village 
life,  they  became  weary  of  it,  and  longed  for  a  home 
again  in  the  country.  Their  sons  then  obtained  for 
them  an  excellent  home  in  the  family  of  a  widowed 
daughter,  their  beloved  sister,  where  the  aged  parents 
spent  their  remaining  years  in  comfort,  enjoying  the 
blessedness  of  the  righteous.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety- three  ;  his  wife,  a  few  years  earlier.  He  was  a 
thoroughly  good  and  upright  man,  and  was  held  in 
great  regard  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife  was 
always  a  benediction  to  him  and  to  their  children 
and  grandchildren.  She  was  lovely  and  greatly 
beloved. 


FAMILY   LIFE. 

DECLINING  RE-ELECTION  AS  A  8ENATOE. 

FOB  eighteen  years  the  absence  of  Mr.  Lowrie  from 
his  home  and  family  in  the  winter  months  had  been 
the  trial  of  their  life.  In  those  days  a  two  weeks'  jour- 
ney, on  horseback  each  way,  was  required  for  a  visit 
to  his  family  in  the  holidays,  involving  too  long  an 
absence  from  official  duty,  besides  expense  and  fatigue. 
The  latter  were  but  minor  matters  compared  with 
the  claims  of  his  wife  and  children.  No  man  was 
ever  more  attached  to  his  family  and  home.  His  wife 
had  given  a  very  reluctant  consent  to  these  winter 
separations,  and  with  health  becoming  delicate,  and 
a  growing  family,  mostly  of  boys,  it  seemed  evident 
that  an  entire  change  must  be  made.  His  declining 
to  be  a  candidate  for  re-election  was  the  decision.  He 
could  otherwise  be  well  employed,  without  being  so 
much  separated  from  his  beloved  family.  The  path 
of  duty  seemed  to  be  plain.  His  intended  withdrawal 
from  public  service  became  known,  in  1824,  to  his 
friends,  and  was  a  matter  all  settled. 

DEATH   OF    MRS.    LOWRIE. 

In  1832,  November  5th,  after  twenty-four  years  of 
married  life,  Mr.  Lowrie  met  with  his  greatest  sorrow 
and  loss — the  death  of  his  wife.  She  was  the  mother 
of  their  eight  children  ;  a  woman  greatly  beloved  in 


FAMILY  LIFE.  29 

her  own  family,  and  by  a  large  number  of  relatives 
and  neighbors.  She  died  at  Bedford,  Penna.,  on  her 
journey  to  Washington  with  her  husband  and 
younger  children;  but  her  funeral  and  interment  were 
from  her  home  in  Butler  the  following  winter,  at- 
tended by  all  the  people  of  the  town,  the  rich  and 
poor  alike.  Lovely  and  loving,  genial,  discreet,  de- 
voted to  our  Saviour  and  His  service,  abounding  in 
works  of  charity,  visiting  the  poorest  with  her  sympa- 
thizing ministry  and  her  prayers  ;  in  the  midst  of  the 
usually  allotted  years  of  life,  in  the  centre  of  her  own 
loving  home,  she  yet  had  "a  desire  to  depart  and  to 
be  with  Christ,  for  it  is  very  far  better."  This 
bereavement  was  followed  in  a  few  months  by  her 
eldest  son  and  his  wife  leaving  for  India  as  mission- 
aries, towards  which  her  sympathies  and  her  prayers 
had  no  doubt  great  influence,  though  she  was  not 
spared  to  see  them  embark. 

At  the  farewell  religious  services  in  the  Arch 
Street  Church,  Philadelphia,  in  the  following  May, 
as  quoted  from  a  periodical  of  that  city,  in 
June,  1833,  her  husband,  the  Hon.  Walter  Lowrie, 
who  was  present  at  the  meeting,  was  urged  by  friends 
to  say  a  few  words.  "  He  then  referred  to  the  attach- 
ment which  a  father  might  be  supposed  to  feel  to- 
ward a  dutiful  and  affectionate  son,  an  eldest  son,  and 
especially  toward  a  son  whose  piety  and  self -consecra- 
tion to  the  missionary  work  were  associated  with  the 
counsels  and  prayers  of  the  departed  wife,  the  sainted 
mother,  whose  eminent  Christian  graces  and  attain- 
ments the  occasion  seemed  so  forcibly  to  recall.  But 
he  assured  his  Christian  friends  that,  though  he  felt, 
and  felt  deeply,  at  parting  with  these  children,  yet, 
instead  of  any  reluctancy  or  regret,  he  could  say  that 


30  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

he  was  willing,  and  even  anxious,  that  they  should 
go  ;  that  if  there  was  any  station  which  he  envied,  it 
was  that  which  they  were  about  to  assume  ;  and  that 
he  could  freely  part  with  every  child  he  had  if  they 
were  called  to  leave  their  native  shores  on  such  an 
errand.  .  .  ." 

"But  to  give  a  just  summary  of  these  remarks,  or 
an  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  they  were  stated,  the 
effect  which  they  produced  upon  those  who  heard 
them,  were  utterly  impossible.  It  is  sufficient  to  say 
of  the  meeting,  taken  as  a  whole,  that  the  God  of 
Missions  appeared  to  have  made  it  a  season  of  unusual 
and  precious  enjoyment  to  many  of  His  people,  and 
one  whose  whole  effect  on  the  cause  of  missions  in 
future  time  will  not  be  lost." 


The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowrie  included  eight 
children — six  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  eldest 
son,  born  December  16,  1808,  went  to  India  as  a  mis- 
sionary in  1833.  His  wife  died  in  Calcutta  November 
21,  1833,  a  few  weeks  after  their  arrival.  The  second 
son  was  born  April  13,  1811.  He  was  a  lawyer.  He 
died  February  4,  1836.  The  first  daughter,  born 
June  12,  1814,  was  married  to  a  merchant  of  Pitts- 
burg,  and  died  July  1,  1887.  The  second  daughter 
was  born  January  12,  1816,  and  died  September 
17,  1834.  The  third  son  was  born  February  18, 
1819,  and  went  to  China  as  a  missionary.  He  was 
murdered  by  Chinese  pirates,  near  Ningpo,  August  18, 
1847.  The  fourth  son  was  born  March  16,  1823.  He 
was  a  lawyer,  and  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  was  married.  He  died  December  10, 


FAMILY  LIFE.  31 

1885.  The  fifth  son  was  born  November  24, 1827.  He 
went  to  China  as  a  missionary  with  his  wife  in  1854. 
He  died  April  26,  1860.  His  widow,  and  their  son 
and  daughter,  are  missionaries  in  China — the  daugh- 
ter married  to  a  medical-missionary  from  New  York. 
The  youngest  child,  Henry  Martyn,  was  born  in 
Washington  City,  March  16, 1830,  and  died  in  Butler, 
June  26,  1831.  Concerning  all  those  who  have 
departed  this  life,  there  was  a  blessed  hope  in  the 
death  of  each  one. 


DIVINE  REVELATION. 

AMONG  Mr.  Lowrie's  papers,  under  dates  of  May 
and  September,  1830,  has  been  found  a  somewhat  ex- 
tended Treatise  on  Divine  Revelation — presumably 
from  his  pen,  originally.  The  first  part  of  this  treatise 
is  here  inserted  ;  the  second  and  larger  part  may  be 
published  hereafter.  It  may  be  remembered  that  he 
had  begun  studies  for  the  ministry  in  his  earlier  life  ; 
and  his  reading  in  subsequent  years  was  founded  not 
a  little  on  his  knowledge  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  in 
their  languages ;  but  it  does  not  appear  that  at  any 
subsequent  period  of  his  life  he  had  intended  to  re- 
sume his  purpose  of  seeking  admission  to  the  sacred 
office.  

1.  Divine  Revelation  is  a  discovery  made  by  God  to 
man,  of  Himself,  and  of  His  will,  higher  and  clearer 
than  He  has  made  known  by  the  light  of  nature,  or 
than  man  can  discover  by  his  unassisted  reason. 

2.  Divine  Revelation  is  possible.     No  man,  with 
the  use  of  his  reason,  can  deny  the  being  of  a  God.  A 
wicked  man  may  wish,  in  his  heart,  that  there  were 
no  God  ;  but  if  atheism  have  an  existence,  it  is  but  an- 
other name  for  insanity.     No  man  can  deny  or  dis- 
believe that  he  is  himself  a    thinking  being  ; — he 
knows  that  he  exists,  and  that  he  can  act  and  think  ; 
— to  doubt  the  consciousness  of  his  own  existence  is 
to  establish  its  reality.     He  knows,  too,  that  he  did 
not  make  himself, — that  he  is  indebted  for  his  being 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  33 

to  Another.  As  little  can  any  man  disbelieve  the  evi- 
dence of  his  senses.  He  knows  that  he  can  see,  and 
and  hear,  and  feel,  and  taste,  and  smell  the  objects 
around  him,  according  to  the  respective  properties  of 
those  objects.  But  his  consciousness  and  his  senses 
all  afford  him  the  highest  possible  evidence  of  the  ex- 
istence of  a  supreme  Being,  of  infinite  power,  wis- 
dom and  knowledge.  This  is  one  degree  of  revelation, 
made  to  man  through  his  senses,  and  his  rational  fac- 
ulties and  powers.  But  if  the  power  of  God  be  infinite, 
all  degrees  of  power  are  alike  to  Him ;  and  the  clear- 
ness, or  the  obscurity,  of  the  revelation  of  Himself,  to 
His  creatures,  must  rest  with  Himself ;  whether  it  be 
with  the  clearness  enjoyed  by  the  angels  around  His 
throne  or  the  obscurity  of  man  upon  earth. 

II.  NECESSITY  OF  A  DIVINE  EEVELATION. 

3.  This  subject  is  embarrassed  with  some  consid- 
erations which  do  not  properly  belong  to  it.  Where 
there  was  no  Divine  Revelation,  the  darkness  was  so 
great  that  its  necessity  was  but  dimly  discovered  by 
a  few  wise  and  reflecting  men.  Where  Divine  Revel- 
ation has  been  known  for  centuries,  as  among  Christ- 
ian nations,  the  light  is  so  great,  so  diffused,  so  in- 
corporated with  all  our  thoughts  and  reflections,  that 
many,  using  that  very  light,  attempt  to  prove  that 
it  is  not  necessary.  Take,  for  instance,  the  character 
of  God,  as  revealed  in  the  Bible.  The  sublime  des- 
criptions of  the  Divine  Being,  embracing  every  per- 
fection and  excellence,  seem  at  once  to  be  reasonable, 
and  hence  are  claimed  as  the  effort  of  reason,  when 
unassisted  reason  never  did  discover,  and  never  could 
have  discovered  those  perfections. 


34  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

4.  With  these  remarks,  let  us  look  at  the  con- 
dition of  those  nations,  ancient  and  modern,  which  were 
without  the  light  of    Divine  Revelation.    Through 
a  long  course  of  ages,  what  has  unassisted  reason 
achieved  for  them  ? 

The  Egyptians,  Greeks,  and  Romans  were  enlight- 
ened and  civilized  nations,  but  without  Divine  Rev- 
elation. There  we  find  them  grossly  ignorant  of  the 
most  vital  and  important  truths.  Their  gods  were 
multiplied  almost  without  number.  The  sun,  the 
moon,  and  the  stars, — demons,  and  departed  heroes,— 
animals,  noxious  insects,  and  even  rivers  were  their 
gods.  Statues  of  gold  and  silver,  blocks  of  wood  and 
of  stone,  the  work  of  their  own  hands,  were  the  objects 
of  their  idolatry;  and  human  sacrifices,  obscenity, 
prostitution,  drunkenness  and  Bacchanalian  revels 
formed  a  great  part  of  their  stated  worship. 

5.  They  were   ignorant  of  the  true  account  of 
creation, — of  God's  design  in  making  the  world, — of 
the  origin  of  evil,  and  the  original  dignity  of  human 
nature.     Socrates,  Cicero,  and  Seneca,  their  wisest  and 
best  men,  doubted  even  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
Of  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  they  knew  nothing. 
When  such  men  were  thus  enshrouded  in  doubt,  what 
must  have  been  the  darkness  of  the  mass  of  the  com- 
mon people  ?  who  on  all  these  points  had  an  equally 
vital  interest. 

6.  A  future  state  of  rewards  and  punishments  was 
too  little  understood  to  have  a  proper  influence  on 
the  conduct.     Hence  their  morals  were  corrupt,  and 
corresponded  with  the  moral  darkness  of  the  mind. 
It  could  not  be  otherwise.    Man  is  a  creature  actuated 
by  motives.     But  where  was  the  motive  for  holiness, 
for  purity  of  heart  and  life,  when  holiness  and  the 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  35 

worship  of  the  heart  was  not  known  ?  It  is  remark- 
able, also,  that  the  most  civilized  and  the  most  bar- 
barous nations  were  nearly  alike  in  their  ignorance 
of  divine  things,  and  in  their  moral  depravity  of 
conduct. 

7.  This  picture  of  the  nations  of  antiquity,  drawn 
at  large  by  their  own  historians,  will  suit  the  heathen 
nations  of  our  own  time  ;  and  here,  too,  moral  dark- 
ness and  depravity  bring  to  a  level  the  most  civilized 
and  the  most  barbarous.    The  Chinese,  the  Burman, 
take  rank  here  with  the  American  savage  and  the 
inhabitant  of  benighted  Africa.    The  human  sacrifices 
of  New  Zealand,  the  slaughter  of  his  attendants  at  the 
death  of  an  African  king,  the  funeral  piles  of  India, 
and  the  Car  of    Juggernaut,  proclaim  with   dying 
groans  the  necessity  of  a  Divine  Revelation. 

8.  That  much  moral  evil  exists  in  the  world  is  in- 
scribed on  every  page  of  its  history.    At  all  times, 
and  in  all  places,  the  record  shows  not  slight  imper- 
fections only,  but  crimes  which  the  light  of  reason 
strongly  condemns.    By  the  universal  consent  of  all 
nations,  man  is  chargeable  with  guilt ;  and  when  his 
conduct  and  his  actions  are  arraigned,  the  verdict 
must  be  that  of  guilty.     That  this  is  the  actual  con- 
dition of  mankind  cannot  be  questioned.      Now  the 
very  nature  of  guilt  involves  a  liability  to,  and  desert 
of,  just  punishment.     How,  then,  can  the  justice  of 
God  be  satisfied    without  the    punishment    of   the 
guilty?      Will  He  extend  mercy  and  pardon,   and 
remit  the  punishment  which  justice  requires  ?    Does 
not  the  infinite  perfection  of  His  nature  require  that 
the  glorious  attribute  of  justice  be  fully  satisfied? 
If  mercy  can  be  exercised,  is  it  the  will  of  God  that  it 
should  be  exercised  ?    And,  if  so,  in  what  way  or  on 


36  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

what  terms  ?  All  these  are  questions  which  unassisted 
reason  never  did  answer,  and  never  could  have  an- 
swered. The  more  we  try  to  answer  them  by  reason, 
the  more  the  darkness  increases.  Do  we  argue  in 
favour  of  mercy  ?  We  arraign  the  justice  of  the  punish- 
ment. Do  we  consider  the  high  claims  of  infinite 
justice?  Then  the  case  of  sinful  men  is  hopeless. 
How  are  the  claims  of  mercy  and  justice  to  be  recon- 
ciled? If  infinite  wisdom  be  required  to  devise  a 
way  by  which  the  claims  of  both  are  preserved — can 
finite,  unassisted  reason  discover  that  plan  ?  And  can 
it  also  discover  that  God  is  willing  to  execute  that 
plan?  It  is  impossible — utterly  impossible.  Until 
God  reveal  these  things,  the  highest  created  intelli- 
gences must  remain  ignorant  of  them ;  and,  when 
revealed,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  angels  should  desire 
to  look  into  them.  If,  therefore,  a  knowledge  of 
everything  dear  to  man — a  knowledge  of  his  eternal 
well-being,  a  knowledge  of  the  true  God,  be  neces- 
sary, then  is  a  Divine  Revelation  necessary. 

III.    NEW  TESTAMENT  GENUINE  AND  AUTHENIC. 

9.  The  books  of  the  New  Testament  contain  the  his- 
tory of  Jesus  Christ,  the  first  propagation  of  His  reli- 
gion, and  the"  principles  and  precepts  of  Christianity. 
They  are  usually  printed  together,  and  bound  in  one 
volume,  and  by  many  are  considered  as  but  one  book. 
They  consist,  however,  of  the  writings  of  eight  differ- 
ent authors,  and  of  twenty-seven   different    books, 
written  at  different  times,  and  in  different  parts  of  the 
world. 

10.  The  writers  of  the  New  Testament  claim  to  have 
been  cotemporary  with  Him,  whose  birth,  life,  pre- 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  37 

cepts,  miracles,  death  and  resurrection  they  record. 
They  purport  to  relate  what  they  heard  and  what  they 
saw.  Whatever  they  have  written  of  Him,  of  His  pre- 
cepts, of  His  miracles,  or  of  the  spread  of  His  kingdom, 
either  by  a  direct  historical  record  of  facts,  or  by  inci- 
dental allusion,  they  have  written  as  eye  and  ear  wit- 
nesses. "That  which  they  had  heard,  which  they  had 
seen  with  their  eyes,  which  they  had  looked  upon, 
and  their  hands  had  handled"  is  claimed  by  them 
to  have  been  recorded  in  the  books  of  the  New  Testa 
ment. 

11.  These  witnesses  write  with  impartiality,  so- 
briety, modesty,  and  every  mark  of  sincerity.    They 
relate  their   own   mistakes,   and  record  their  own 
follies  and  their  faults.     There  is  no  enthusiasm, 
no  exclamations  against  others,  no  violence.     Their 
testimony  is  consistent  in  all  its  parts.   In  no  one  in- 
stance is  any  of  them  in  the  least  degree  inconsistent 
with  himself.     With  each  other  there  is  no  contradic- 
tion, and  the  variance  in  minor  points,  of  incidents 
and  circumstances,  shews  they  neither  wrote  In  con- 
cert nor  copied  from  each  other.     They  gave  the 
highest  proof  of  their  sincerity,  in  sealing  their  testi- 
mony by  voluntary  martyrdom.    It  is  not  to  be  con- 
ceived that  such  a  number  of  witnesses  would  resign 
their  means  of  support,  fortune,  character,  and  life 
itself  for  the  assertion  of  what  they  knew  to  be  false. 
They  at  least  believed  the  truth  of  their  testimony, 
and  it  only  remains  to  be  proved  that,  if  they  believed 
it  to  be  true,  they  could  not  be  deceived,  and  that  it 
must  be  true  indeed. 

12.  The  testimony  of  these  writers  did  not  relate  to 
opinions,  nor  to  abstract  points,  nor  to  events  distant 
in  time  or  place ;  but  to  facts  which  they  personally 


38  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

witnessed.  By  the  word  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  wit- 
nessed the  blind  made  to  see,  the  lame  to  walk,  the 
deaf  to  hear,  and  the  dead  to  rise  from  the  grave. 
They  heard  a  Voice  from  heaven  saying,  "  This  is  my 
beloved  Son,  hear  ye  Him."  They  saw  this  same  Jesus 
nailed  to  the  cross,  they  saw  His  side  pierced 
with  a  spear,  and  blood  and  water  flowing  from  the 
wound,  and  they  saw  Him  laid  in  the  tomb.  After 
three  days  He  shewed  himself  openly  to  them,  he  ate 
and  drank  in  their  presence,  and  conversed  with  them 
for  the  space  of  forty  days.  He  reproved  their  un- 
belief, and  required  them  to  handle  Him  and  see  that 
it  was  indeed  Himself.  He  called  on  Thomas  in  the 
presence  of  the  others,  to  put  his  fingers  into  the  prints 
of  the  nails,  and  to  thrust  his  hand  into  His  side. 
Finally  He  led  them  out  as  far  as  Bethany,  and  in 
their  sight,  and  in  open  day,  ascended  up  into  heaven. 
After  His  ascension,  they  themselves,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  healed  the  sick,  caused  the  blind 
to  see,  the  deaf  to  hear,  the  lame  to  walk,  and  the 
dead  to  arise.  These  are  but  a  few  of  the  prominent 
facts  recorded  in  their  testimony  ;  and  in  these  facts 
they  could  not  possibly  be  deceived.  In  this  aspect 
of  the  argument,  the  alternative  is  presented  that 
their  testimony  is  true,  or  that  they  sacrificed  their 
time,  their  good  name,  their  every  earthly  comfort, 
and  finally  their  lives,  to  impose  a  falsehood  on  the 
world. 

13.  As  these  witnesses  were  not  themselves  de- 
ceived, neither  could  they  deceive  others.  The  facts 
they  relate  were  public,  done  openly,  before  men  of 
learning,  sagacity  and  power ;  as  well  as  before  multi 
tudes  of  all  other  classes.  If  it  were  false  that  "  the 
blind  and  the  lame  came  to  Jesus  in  the  temple,  and 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  39 

He  healed  them,"  could  not  His  bitter  and  relentless 
enemies  have  shown  it  was  a  falsehood  ?  If  it  were 
false  that  Lazarus,  after  lying  four  days  in  the  grave, 
was  restored  to  life,  would  it  not  have  been  more 
natural  for  the  chief  priests  to  have  exposed  the 
falsehood  than  to  have  taken  counsel  to  put  Him 
to  death  ?  In  all  places,  and  in  the  most  public  man- 
ner, the  apostles  bear  their  testimony  to  the  truth  of 
the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  rose  from  the  dead  and 
ascended  up  into  heaven.  In  the  Epistle  to  the  Church 
at  Corinth,  reference  is  made  to  five  hundred  who 
had  seen  Him  after  the  resurrection,  most  of  whom 
were  then  living.  The  miracles  which  they  performed, 
were  all  wrought  in  His  name.  In  the  face  of  the 
Jewish  council,  when  actually  beaten,  and  threatened 
with  death,  they  openly  state  and  adhere  to  this  fact, 
and  charge  their  very  judges  with  His  blood.  The 
miracles  they  wrought  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  parts  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  and  the  power  they  communicated 
to  others  of  working  miracles,  were  public  and  known 
to  all.  These  miracles  being  recorded  in  the  historical 
books,  and  referred  to  in  the  various  epistles  to  the 
diif erent  churches,  gives  us,  as  will  be  hereafter  fully 
shown,  the  testimony  of  that  whole  generation  to  the 
truth  of  the  facts  thus  set  forth. 

14.  The  Jews  were  the  most  violent  opposers  and 
haters  of  Christianity  at  its  beginning,  and  have  con- 
tinued to  the  present  day  to  be  its  most  bitter  adver- 
saries. Had  the  books  of  the  New  Testament  been 
forgeries  of  the  time  they  claim  to  have  been  written, 
or  had  they  contained  falsehoods,  the  Jews  were  both 
able  and  willing  to  have  detected  the  imposture.  The 
things  recorded,  as  already  stated,  were  not  said  to 
be  done  in  a  corner.  The  scene  of  many  of  the  trans- 


40  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

actions  recorded,  and  especially  of  the  crucifixion 
and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  was  Jerusalem,  the 
metropolis  of  the  nation.  The  highest  civil  and  eccle- 
siastical rulers  of  the  Jews  are  referred  to  by  name 
as  actors  and  as  witnesses.  The  name  of  the  Roman 
governor  is  given,  and  his  actions  in  the  scene,  and 
what  he  said,  are  minutely  set  down.  Dates  are 
given,  places  are  designated,  officers,  men  and  meas- 
ures are  all  described.  On  the  supposition  of  forgery 
or  falsehood  it  is  unaccountable  that  these  things 
could  have  passed  without  exposure.  Nor  could 
these  writings  have  been  forgeries  of  a  later  period, 
because  the  Jews  still  continued  their  hatred  of 
Christianity,  ever  watchful  to  avail  themselves  of 
anything  to  cast  odium  on  that  hated  name. 

15.  The  primitive  Christians  of  Rome,  Corinth, 
Galatia  and  other  places  would  not  have  received 
those  writings  as  genuine  if  they  had  been  forgeries. 
In  the  epistles  to  these  churches  the  facts  recorded  in 
the  historical  books  are  taken  for  granted,  and  re- 
ferred to  as  known  to  all.  The  Apostle  Paul  writes 
of  his  previous  labours  amongst  them,  He  reproves  one 
church  for  departing  from  the  right  way  after  the 
miracles  they  had  seen ;  he  reproves  another  church 
for  permitting  a  scandalous  incest  to  remain  un- 
censured  ;  he  speaks  of  the  gift  of  tongues,  and  other 
gifts  possessed  by  some  of  themselves  ;  in  his  epistle 
to  another  church  he  calls  over  by  name  twenty-six 
of  its  members.  Now  if  these  epistles  had  been  for- 
geries, it  was  impossible  that  these  churches  should 
have  received  them  as  the  genuine  writings  of  St. 
Paul.  Deceived  on  this  subject  these  churches  could 
not  be.  They  knew  whether  or  not  he  had  ever 
preached  among  them.  The  church  in  Galatia  knew 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  41 

whether  or  not  they  had  seen  the  miracles  to  which  he 
referred,  and  whether  or  not  there  was  ground  for  his 
censures  ;  the  church  at  Corinth  knew  whether  or  not 
a  disgraceful  incest  had  taken  place  ;  and  the  church 
at  Rome  knew  whether  or  not  the  twenty-six  persons 
named  by  the  apostle  were  of  their  community.  Yet, 
with  all  this  knowledge,  and  many  items  more  which 
might  be  detailed  in  these  and  other  churches  to 
which  epistles  were  written,  it  is  a  fact  that  these 
very  epistles  were  received  by  them  as  genuine  and 
authentic. 

16.  Let  it  be  assumed,  what  indeed  needs  no  proof, 
that  there  exist  at  this  day  numerous  Christian 
churches  in  the  world  ;  that  these  churches  have 
teachers,  and  rules,  and  ordinances,  and  stated  times 
for  public  worship  ;  that  they  all  profess  to  believe 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  the  author  of  this  religion  ;  that 
He  appointed  these  ordinances  and  rules  and  directed 
them  so  to  meet  for  public  worship ;  and  that  the 
books  in  which  all  these  things  are  recorded  claim  to 
have  been  written  by  His  immediate  followers.  These 
things,  being  assumed  or  proved,  it  follows  that  the 
present  generation  did  not  forge  these  writings.  It  is 
not  impossible  that  books  should  have  been  forged  in 
our  age,  but,  on  the  supposition  of  such  forgery,  it  is 
impossible  that  these  books  should  have  been  received 
as  genuine  by  all  the  Christian  churches  throughout 
the  world.  If  these  books  did  not  exist  till  the  pres- 
ent age,  how  came  these  Christian  churches  into  ex- 
istence ?  And  how  came  those  societies  to  acknowl- 
edge, and  venerate,  and  profess  to  be  regulated  by, 
books  which  did  not  even  exist  ?  We  do  know,  there- 
fore, most  certainly  that  the  forgery,  if  it  be  a  forgery, 
did  not  take  place  in  our  day. 


42  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

It  is  as  impossible,  moreover,  that  a  forgery  of  the 
kind  supposed  could  have  been  imposed  on  the  gen- 
eration immediately  preceding  the  present.  They 
stood  as  we  now  stand,  with  the  same  means  of  judging, 
with  the  same  ability  to  detect  imposture  or  forgery. 
Christian  churches  existed  also  in  their  day,  and  by 
those  churches  were  these  writings  received  and  ven- 
erated. Now  these  considerations  apply  with  equal 
force  to  each  of  the  sixty  generations  which  have 
existed  since  the  days  of  the  apostles. 

17.  The  citizens  of  the  United  States  are  in  the 
habit  of  celebrating  annually  the  day  of  the  nation's 
birth.  Whilst  that  celebration  continues  it  is  the 
annual  testimony  of  a  whole  people  to  the  truth  of 
the  fact  that  on  the  4th  day  of  July,  1776,  the  Declar- 
ation of  Independence  was  adopted.  Should  any  one 
pronounce  this  state  paper  to  be  a  forgery  of  last 
year  we  would  consider  him  insane.  If  we  reasoned 
with  him  at  all,  we  might  ask  how,  on  the  sup- 
position of  forgery,  he  accounted  for  the  existence  of 
the  United  States  as  a  free  and  independent  people, 
governed  by  laws  of  their  own  and  by  agents  of  their 
own  ?  Or  should  he  pronounce  it  a  forgery  of  1796, 
the  question  still  recurs,  if  it  be  a  forgery  of  that  or 
any  other  period,  how  and  when  did  the  United  States 
become  an  independent  nation  ?  Would  the  genera- 
tion of  1776  have  received  this  document  unless  it 
had  been  both  genuine  and  authentic  ?  And  that  they 
knew  the  facts  to  which  it  referred  to  be  true  ?  To 
suppose  the  contrary  is  to  suppose  what  is  impossible 
and  absurd.  This  familiar  illustration  applies  with 
all  its  force  to  the  books  of  the  New  Testament.  The 
reasoning  in  the  one  case,  with  all  its  simplicity  and 
clearness,  applies  with  equal  simplicity  and  clearness 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  43 

to  the  other.  And,  as  it  is  impossible  that  the  Declar- 
ation of  Independence  could  have  been  a  forgery  of 
1776  or  of  any  later  period,  so  it  is  equally  impos- 
sible that  the  Christian  Scriptures  could  have  been  a 
forgery  of  the  time  they  purport  to  have  been  written 
or  of  any  later  period.  The  era  of  the  one  is  annually 
celebrated  by  the  whole  people  of  the  United  States  ; 
the  era  of  the  other  is  also  statedly  celebrated  by  the 
whole  Christian  Church  in  her  solemn  ordinances. 
The  Declaration  of  Independence  records  the  birth 
of  an  independent  nation,  which  exists  at  the  present 
day  ;  the  New  Testament  records  the  beginning  of 
the  Christian  Church,  which  also  exists  at  the  present 
day.  The  one  was  received  as  genuine  and  authentic 
by  our  fathers  of  1776,  because  they  had  knowledge 
of  the  truth  of  the  facts  to  which  it  refers.  In  the 
truth  of  those  facts  they  could  not  be  deceived.  They 
were  written  with  the  blood  of  fathers,  husbands, 
sons — mothers,  wives  and  daughters.  They  witnessed 
and  endured  scenes  of  desolation,  distress  and  misery 
on  every  side;  and  in  all  these  thousands  of  them- 
selves were  the  sufferers.  It  is  mockery,  not  reason- 
ing, to  say  that  in  these  facts  they  could  have  been 
deceived.  And  how  was  it  with  the  generation  of  the 
New  Testament  writers?  The  first  history  of  the 
Christian  Church  was  also  written  in  the  blood  of 
fathers  and  mothers,  husbands,  wives  and  children. 
They,  too,  endured  the  spoiling  of  their  goods  ;  they 
were  persecuted,  vilified  and  oppressed,  and  their 
very  names  cast  out  as  evil ;  and,  for  the  truth  of  what 
they  saw  and  what  they  believed,  they  suffered  death 
in  all  its  forms.  And  will  it  be  contended  that,  with 
the  most  ample  means  of  knowing  the  truth,  they 
suffered  all  these  things  for  a  forgery  or  a  falsehood  ? 


44  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

18.  Let  us  now  see  what  is  the  evidence  of  history 
on  this  question.    Here  the  evidence  negatively  is 
complete.    The  Jewish  historian,   Josephus,  was  a 
cotemporary  of  some  of  the  writers  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment.   He  writes  the  history  of  the  same  period,  and 
relates  some  things  in  common  with  them ;  but  he 
never  intimates  that  those  writings  were  forged  or 
false.    Nor  does  any  other  Jewish  writer,  nor  do  the 
Roman  historians  of  that  or  any  later  period  in  the 
least  degree  intimate  a  suspicion  of  forgery  or  false- 
hood.    On  the  contrary,  Josephus,  in  his  history  of 
Herod  the  Great,  of  Archelaus  and  of  Pontius  Pilate, 
by  reference  to  dates,  customs,  parties,  and  to  various 
other  points,  confirms  the  New  Testament  history ; 
and  the  Roman  historians,  as  will  be  shown  hereafter, 
expressly  state  that  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ    was 
written  by  His  immediate  followers. 

19.  The  direct  affirmative  historical  evidence  is 
full  and  conclusive.     The  books  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment have  been  quoted  and  referred  to  by  a  continued 
series  of  Christian  and  other  writers  from  the  days  of 
the  apostles  till  the  present  time. 

In  the  first  century  we  have  the  five  Christian 
fathers — Barnabas,  Clement,  Hermas,  Ignatius  and 
Polycarp.  These  writers  were  contemporaries  of  the 
apostles,  and  the  first  three  are  named  in  the  New 
Testament.  They  all  refer  to  the  books  of  the  New 
Testament  as  genuine  and  authentic  Scriptures,  re- 
ceived and  relied  on  by  the  whole  Christian  Church. 

20.  In  the  second  century  we  have  the  following 
writers,*  who  in  like  manner  bear  their  testimony 

*  For  a  detailed  account  of  the  Christian  and  heathen 
writers,  see  Appendix,  No.  1.  See  Lardner^s  Credibility  of 
the  Gospel  History,  British  Encyclopaedia,  ninth  edition. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  45 

to  the  writings  of  the  New  Testament:  Papias,  in 
Necropolis,  A.D.  114;  Justin  Martyr,  Palestine,  140; 
Tatian,  170 ;  Hegerippus,  170 ;  Ireneus,  Lyon,  170 ; 
Athenagoras,  180 ;  Theophilus,  Antioch,  181 ;  Clem- 
ent, Alexandia,  180  ;  Tertullian,  Carthage,  190. 

21.  In  the  third  century,  Ammonias,  A.D.  220  ; 
Julius  Africanno,  220  ;  Hippolytus,  225  ;  Origen,  240  ; 
Cyprian,  Carthage,  250  ;  Dionysius,  Rome,  260 ;  Com- 
modian,  270  ;  Theognostus,  270  ;  Yictorinus,  Germany, 
290 ;  Methodius,  Tyre,  290  ;  Philias,  Egypt,  296. 

22.  In  the  fourth  century  Eusebius,  the  historian, 
815  ;  Marcellus,  320;  Athanasius,  326 ;  Juvenius,  Spain, 
345 ;  Council  of  Laodicea,  363 ;  Basil,  Cappadocia,  370 ; 
Jerome,  372  ;  Gregory,  375  ;  Augustin,  394.     Several 
of  these  writers  have  left  us  a  catalogue  of  the  books 
of  the  New  Testament,  agreeing  with  the  names  of  the 
books  as  we  now  have  them.     So  also  did  the  Third 
Council  of  Carthage,  A.D.  397. 

23.  During  the  first,  second  and  third  centuries, 
various  heresies  sprung  up  in  the  bosom  of  the  church. 
The  writings  of  those  who  advocated  these  heresies  in 
various  ways  afford  evidence  that  the  books  of  the  New 
Testament  are  genuine  and  authentic.    Thus  the  Ebi- 
onites  received  the  gospel  by  Matthew,  but  rejected  all 
the  epistles  of  Paul,  whom  they  called  an  apostate,  be- 
cause he  departed  from  the  Levitical  law.      On  the 
other  hand,  the  Gnostics  contended  that  the  gospel  by 
Matthew,  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  and  those  of 
Peter  and  John,    were  writings  for  Jews,    not  for 
Christians.    All  these  contests  prove  the  existence  of 
the  books  of  the  New  Testament. 

24.  Tacitus,  a  Roman  historian    and  a  heathen, 
states  that  this  pernicious  superstition  took  its  rise 
from  Christ,  who,  in  the  reign  of  Tiberias  Caesar,  was 


46  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

put  to  death  by  Pontius  Pilate  ;  that  it  spread  rapidly 
and  had  infected  great  numbers  in  Rome  itself  ;  and 
that  the  Christians  suffered  a  dreadful  persecution  in 
Eome  by  order  of  Nero,  A.D.  65. 

The  celebrated  letters  of  the  younger  Pliny  to  the 
Emperor  Trajan  prove  that  the  knowledge  of  Chris- 
tianity was  general  in  Pontus  and  Bythinia  ;  he  states, 
also,  the  purity  of  the  lives  and  the  fortitude  of  the 
Christians  under  suffering.  The  persecution  they 
then  endured  was  the  subject  of  the  letter,  A.  D.  106. 

Celsus,  A.D.  176,  mentions  some  of  the  disciples 
by  name,  and  quotes  many  passages  from  the  books 
of  the  New  Testament.  He  admits  most  of  the  facts 
of  the  gospel  history.  He  professed  to  draw  his 
arguments  from  the  writings  received  by  the  Christian 
church,  especially  the  four  gospels,  and  in  no  one  in- 
stance from  any  other  writings. 

Porphyry,  that  sensible,  learned,  but  severe  and 
unfair,  enemy  of  Christianity,  bears  a  testimony 
equally  conclusive  to  the  authenticity  of  the  books 
of  the  New  Testament.  He  possessed  every  advant- 
age, which  learning,  natural  abilities  or  political 
situation  could  afford,  but,  sagacious  and  acute  as  he 
was,  he  never  attempted  to  deny  that  the  books  of 
the  New  Testament  were  genuine.  He  wrote  against 
the  Christians  A.  D.  263. 

One  hundred  years  later,  A.  D.  360,  flourished  the 
Emperor  Julian.  He  systematically  and  most  insidi- 
ously set  himself  to  root  out  Christianity  from  his 
empire.  He  names  the  four  Gospels, — notices  the 
difference  between  them,  and  refers  to  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  In  numerous  instances  he  refers  to  the 
customs  and  worship  of  the  Christian  church  ;  and,  in 
his  attempts  to  reform  the  Pagan  superstition,  his 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  47 

arguments  and  his  exhortations  are  drawn  from  the 
Christian  practice,  as  founded  on  the  principles  and 
precepts  of  the  New  Testament. 

25.  It  is  deemed  unnecessary  to  trace  the  historical 
evidence  into  the  fifth  and  succeeding  centuries.    In 
every  step  of  the  progress  downwards,  the  testimony 
becomes    more    and    more    crowded,    by    Christian 
writers,  by  the  writings  of  the  heretics  and  by  those 
opposed  to  Christianity.     In  the  early  part  of  the 
fourth  century,  the  Christian  religion  was  acknowl- 
edged in  the  palace  of  the  Csesars,  and  in  the  Roman 
Empire,  the  mighty  structure  of  the  Pagan  Idolatry 
fell  to  rise  no  more. 

26.  From  the  days  of  the  Apostles  numerous  Chris- 
tian churches  have  existed  in  all  parts  of  the  civilized 
world.    Multitudes  of  all  ranks,  abandoned  their  idol 
worship,  and  embraced  the  pure  principles  of  the 
Gospel.      Now,  in  the  continued  evidence  of  these 
Christian  Churches,  and  in  the  concurrence  of  the 
multitudes  who  professed  the  Christian  faith,  we  have 
the  most  conclusive  evidence  to  the  truth  of  the  Gos- 
pel history.    It  is  the  unbroken  and  the  daily  testi- 
mony of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  unexceptionable 
witnesses  in  all  parts  of  the  world.    In  their  local  and 
dispersed  situations,  in  all  ages,  combination  and  col- 
lusion, for  the  purposes  of  forgery  and  deception, 
were  impracticable  ;  and  by  their  united  and  con- 
tinued testimony  a  chain  of  evidence,  the  most  con- 
clusive, the  most  perfect,  is  established  from  the  first 
rise  of  Christianity  to  the  present  time. 


48  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 


IV.    NEW  TESTAMENT  DIVINELY  INSPIRED. 

27.  The  writers  of  the  New  Testament  not  only 
claim  to  have  had  perfect  knowledge  of  the  things 
which  they  saw  and  heard  and  taught,  but  they  go 
further,  and  in  all  these  claim  to  have  been  under  a 
divine  and  infallible  guidance.     In  reference  to  the 
historical  facts,  they  assert  "that  they  were  guided 
by  a  divine  direction,  that  God  Himself  taught  them 
all  things,   and  brought  all  things  to  their  remem- 
brance, whatsoever  Jesus  Christ  had  said  unto  them." 
In  reference  to  precepts  and  doctrines,  they  assert 
"that  they  were  such  as  they  had  received  of  the 
Lord,"  that  they  spoke   "not  in  the  words  which 
man's  wisdom  teacheth,  but  which  the  Holy  Ghost 
teacheth ";  that  these  things  "were  not  received  by 
man  but  by  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ."     In  a 
word,  they  claim  to  have  recorded  a  Divine  Revelation 
as  delivered  to  them  "by  the  wisdom  of  the  Living 
God." 

28.  Before  proceeding  to  examine  the  evidence  on 
which  the  New  Testament  writers  rest  this  high  claim, 
it  is  proper  to  examine  what  the  claim  itself  really  is, 
and  how  it  applies  to  these  writings,  as  consisting  of 
history,  precepts  and  prophecy.      On    this  subject 
much  has  been  written,  and  often  have  attempts  at 
explanation  made  it  more  obscure.    We  are  told  of 
plenary  inspiration,  of  an  inspiration  of  superintend- 
ency,  of  a  plenary  superintendent  inspiration,  of  an 
inspiration  of  suggestion,  of  elevation,  etc.,  etc.  It  is 
believed  that  the  use  of  these  different  terms  is  unne- 
cessary and  injurious ;  and  that  they  only  darken 
counsel  by  words  without  knowledge. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  49 

29.  On  turning  to  the  pages  of  the  record  itself  to 
see  what  this  claim  is,  we  find  it  expressed  and  re- 
ferred to  in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  Sometimes  the 
expressions  are  general  and  indefinite.  The  fact  that 
the  communication  was  divine,  is  distinctly  asserted, 
but  not  the  manner  in  which  it  was  made  to  them. 
"On  the  day  of  Pentecost  the  disciples  were  all  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  with  toher 
tongues  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance."  Acts  ii, 
4.  "For  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also 

I  delivered  unto  you."   I  Cor.  xi,  23.    "For  I  neither 
received  it  by  man,  neither  was  I  taught  it,    but  by 
the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ."     Gal.  v,  12.     "Holy 
men  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost." 

II  Pet.  i,  21.     In  some  instances  the  expressions  are 
more  definite,  and  we  are  informed  how  the  revela- 
tion was  made.    When  the  apostles  were  cast  into 
prison,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  sets  them  free,  and 
directs  them  "to  go,  stand  and  speak  in  the  temple  to 
people  all  the  words  of  this  life."    Acts  v,  19,  20. 
"  The  angel  of  the  Lord  spake  unto  Philip,  saying, 
Arise  go  towards  the  south."     Acts  viii,  26.     "The 
angel  of  the  Lord  stood  by  Paul  and  spoke  to  him," 
Acts  xxvii,  23.  '  'And  again  an  angel  appeared  to  John, 
and  explained  and  revealed  to  him  things  to  come." 
Rev.  xxii,  16.     "The  Holy  Ghost  said,  separate  me 
Barnabas  and  Paul,  for  the  work  whereunto  I  have 
called  them."    Acts  xiii,  2.    Unto  the  third  heavens 
was  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  caught  up,  and  heard 
unspeakable  words  whether  in  the  body  or  out  of  the 
body,  He  did  not  Himself  know.    II  Cor.  xii,  1-3. 
John,  the  forerunner  of  Jesus  Christ,  at  the  baptism 
of  His  Lord,  and  the  three  disciples  on  the  Mount 
heard  a  Voice  from  heaven,  saying,  "This  is  my  Be- 


50  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

loved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."     Mat.  iii,  17 
and  xvii,  5 ;  II  Pet.  i,  17,  18. 

A  great  part  of  the  New  Testament  message  was 
revealed  by  Jesus  Christ  Himself  to  His  disciples. 
During  years  of  familiar  and  most  endearing  inter- 
course, He  revealed  and  expounded  to  them  the  things 
of  His  kingdom.  From  heaven  He  descended,  and  in 
brightness  above  the  mid-day  sun,  spoke  to  the  vio- 
lent persecutor  of  His  people,  from  thenceforth  called 
to  be  one  of  His  most  distinguished  witnesses.  Acts 
ix,  1-20.  To  the  same  apostle  He  again  appeared 
in  a  vision,  encouraging  and  strengthening  him.  Acts 
xviii,  9.  To  him  who  leaned  on  his  breast  at  supper, 
He  again  appeared  in  the  Isle  of  Patmos  ;  but  so  glori- 
ous, that  the  beloved  disciple  fell  at  His  feet  as 
dead.  Rev.  i,  17. 

30.  In  all  these  rich  and  varied  expressions  of  the 
New  Testament  writers,   we  are  taught  to  consider 
them  as  having  delivered  to  us  a  message  from  God. 
That  this  message  in  all  its  parts  consists  of  entire 
truth,  and  of  such  truth  as  it  was  the  will  and  good 
pleasure  of  God  should  be  revealed  to  us  by  them. 
The  communication  of  these  truths  to  them  is  in  the 
message  itself  called  "Divine  Inspiration."*     This 
means  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  Divine  Revela- 
tion, or  communication,  of  these  truths  to  their  minds, 
and  thereby  enabling  them,  without  error  or  mistake, 
to  speak  and  write  the  things,  thus  by  them  received, 
whether    relating  to    prophecy,   moral   precepts  or 
historical  facts. 

31.  The  Divine  Inspiration  claimed  by  these  writers, 
as  far  as  it  respects  prophecy  and  moral  precepts,  is 


*Tlieopneustos,  I  Tim.  iii,  16. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  51 

easily  understood ;  but  how  it  applies  to  historical 
facts  is  not  so  apparent,  and  hence,  as  already  noticed, 
the  diversity  of  terms  applied  to  this  subject.  It  is 
asked,  where  is  the  necessity  of  Divine  Inspiration, 
when  a  competent  witness,  in  relating  a  fact,  speaks 
from  personal  knowledge  ?  There  is  no  doubt  but  in 
such  a  case  the  truth  may  be  told  without  Divine 
Inspiration  ;  and  that  a  historical  fact  recorded  under 
divine  guidance,  and  one  recorded  without  it,  may  be 
both  equally  true.  But  those  to  whom  the  relation 
of  the  fact  is  given  have  not  the  same  certainty  of  its 
truth  in  both  cases.  In  one,  there  is  the  possibility 
of  forgetfulness,  the  possibility  of  misapprehension 
and  of  error,  the  possibility  that  the  relation  of  the 
fact  itself  is  not  necessary ;  the  other  is  beyond  any 
such  possibility.  The  one  testimony  is  human,  the 
other  is  Divine. 

32.  Another  inquiry  of  some  moment  belongs  to 
this  branch  of  the  subject.  Does  this  Divine  Inspira- 
tion extend  to  the  words,  or  only  to  the  thoughts  or 
minds  of  the  writers  ? 

Every  one  who  is  capable  of  examining  the  New 
Testament  in  the  original  language  will  perceive  that 
it  is  not  written  in  the  pure  Greek  of  Xenophon  or 
Plato.  It  is  Hebraic  Greek,  or  such  as  was  used  by 
the  Jews  when  they  spoke  or  wrote  in  Greek.  The 
original  Greek,  also,  or  even  a  faithful  translation 
shows  a  diversity  of  style  amongst  these  writers.  We 
find  also  that  in  relating  the  same  facts  there  is  sel- 
dom a  verbal  agreement. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  from  the  language  in  which 
these  books  were  written,  that  of  Hebraic  Greek, 
from  the  diversity  of  style  of  the  different  writers, 
and  from  the  verbal  differences  in  the  relation  of  facts. 


52  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOW  WE. 

that,  to  some  extent  at  least,  these  writers  were  left 
to  the  resources  of  their  own  minds.  But  we  must 
remember  that  the  clear  perception  of  knowledge 
enabled  them  to  express  it  clearly,  either  in  speaking 
or  writing. 

The  foregoing  remarks  are  illustrated,  and  indeed 
are  embraced,  in  another  consideration.  In  translating 
the  New  Testament  from  the  Greek  into  another 
language,  if  the  translation  be  faithful,  the  Divine 
Inspiration  is  not  lost  in  the  change  of  words  or 
idioms ;  it  is  still  a  Divine  Revelation,  though  spoken 
in  another  tongue.  So  in  secular  affairs.  The  testi- 
mony of  witnesses  admitted  to  be  honest  and  com- 
petent, though  spoken  in  a  language  unknown  to  the 
court  and  jury,  will  yet  be  the  foundation  for  the 
judgment  and  verdict  of  that  court  and  jury  even  in 
cases  of  life  and  death.  Here,  of  course,  the  court 
and  jury  will  first  be  well  assured  that  the  testimony 
has  been  faithfully  translated. 

Whilst,  therefore,  on  the  one  hand,  we  are  not  to 
consider  the  words  nor  the  arrangement  of  the  words 
as  being  divinely  inspired,  so,  on  the  other  hand,  we 
are  not  warranted,  by  anything  contained  in  the  mes- 
sage itself,  in  concluding  that  no  limits  were  assigned 
on  these  points  to  the  minds  of  the  writers.  On  the 
contrary,  whatever  discretion  or  latitude  was  allowed, 
they  claim  distinctly  to  have  delivered  their  message, 
not  in  the  words  of  human  wisdom  but  in  the  words 
as  taught  by  a  Divine  Teacher.  I  Cor.  ii — 3,  13. 

33.  Having  thus  considered  what  Divine  Inspira- 
tion is,  let  us  now  examine  the  evidence  by  which  the 
claim  to  it  is  supported. 

We  have  already  seen  (N"o.  11)  that  these  writers 
gave  the  highest  evidence  of  sincerity  by  their  holy 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  53 

and  blameless  lives,  by  their  sufferings  and  by  tlieir 
submitting  voluntarily  to  martyrdom  in  the  support 
of  the  truth  of  the  things  related.  But  one  of  the 
things  thus  related  by  them  is  the  fact  that  they 
spake  not  of  themselves  but  as  it  was  revealed  to 
them.  They  tell  us  that  they  heard  a  Voice  from 
heaven  saying,  "This  is  my  Beloved  Son  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased."  They  tell  us  that  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues  as  the  Spirit 
gave  them  utterance.  They  tell  us  that  such  and 
such  things  were  revealed  to  them  by  the  Lord,  and 
that  they  delivered  His  message  as  they  received  it. 
From  the  very  nature  of  the  facts  recorded  every 
argument  and  every  consideration,  which  proves  the 
record  to  be  genuine  and  authentic,  proves  its  Divine 
Inspiration. 

34.  The  miracles  performed  by  Jesus  Christ  are  con- 
clusive proof  that  his  was  a  divine  mission.     As  such 
he  appeals  to  them  (John  v,  36) ;    and  as  siich  the 
sincere  enquirers  after  the  truth  considered  them  ; 
(John  iii,  2  and  ix,  31).       The  writers  of  the  New 
Testament  also  appeal  to  the  miracles  performed  by 
them  as  full  proof  that  their  message  was  divine  (Acts 
v,  32) ;  and  these  appeals  are  conclusive ;  they  are 
beyond  the  reach  of  cavil ;  the  miracles  set  the  broad 
seal  of  heaven  to  the  divine  mission  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,   and  to  the  truth  of    the  testimony  of   the 
apostles. 

35.  The  enemies  of  Divine  Revelation  have  felt  the 
force  of  this  part  of  the  Christian  argument,  and 
their  utmost  efforts  have  been  made  to  lessen  or  evade 
it.    Down  to  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Julian,  the 
opposers  of    Christianity    ascribed  the  miracles  to 


54  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

magic.  Neither  Celsus,  Porphyry  nor  Julian  denied 
the  fact  that  the  miracles  recorded  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment had  been  performed.  But  they  contended  that 
Jesus,  when  in  Egypt,  had  learned  magic,  and  these 
were  the  fruits  of  His  skill.  "Let  us  grant,"  says 
Celsus,  "  that  they  were  performed  ;  must  we  not  say 
that  these  are  the  artifices  of  wicked  and  miserable 
men?"  "Jesus,"  says  Julian,  "did  nothing  in  his 
lifetime  worthy  of  remembrance,  unless  any  one 
thinks  it  a  mighty  matter  to  heal  lame  and  blind 
people,  and  exorcise  demoniacs  in  the  valleys  of 
Bethsaida  and  Bethany."  One  skeptic  of  modern 
date  has  contended  that,  from  the  nature  of  the  fact 
itself,  as  being  contrary  to  our  experience,  no  proof 
could  establish  a  miracle.  And  the  infidels  of  our 
day  content  themselves  with  a  naked  denial  of  their 
existence. 

The  objections  of  the  heathen  opposers  are  now  no 
further  worthy  of  notice  than  to  show  how  the  ground 
of  opposition  has  been  shifted  since  that  time.  The 
sophistry  of  Hume  and  his  followers  never  deceived  a 
sincere  enquirer  after  truth.  If  we  are  to  believe 
nothing  but  what  we  see  and  hear,  for  the  objection 
amounts  to  that,  then  is  our  knowledge  small  indeed. 
To  this  day  the  writer  of  these  remarks  never  saw  or 
felt  an  earthquake,  or  a  waterspout,  or  a  volcanic 
eruption.  It  is  contrary  to  all  his  experience  that 
either  of  these  ever  existed.  But  the  principles  of 
human  testimony  are  not  contrary  to  his  experience, 
and,  therefore,  he  has  no  doubt  that  these  things  have 
been  seen  and  felt  by  others.  In  common  with  those 
who  preceded  them,  the  Carlisles,  the  Wrights  and 
the  Owens  of  the  present  time  contend  that  human 
reason  is  sufficient  in  all  cases.  Yet,  on  this  subject, 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  55 

they  will  not  reason.  If  they  are  invited  to  an  exam- 
ination of  the  historical  evidence  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, they  answer  by  naked  assertion  or  coarse  and 
contemptible  ridicule  and  invective.  While  they 
pursue  this  course,  argument  is  of  no  avail ;  reason 
itself  is  useless ;  so  to  him  who  is  blind,  and  to  him 
who  obstinately  and  wilfully  shuts  his  eyes,  the  light 
is  equally  useless. 

PEOPHECY. 

36.  If  prophecy  exist  at  all,  every  one  will  con- 
cede that  it  is  an  evidence  of  Divine  Kevelation  ;  and 
that  the  knowledge  of  future  events  is  a  knowledge 
derived  immediately  from  heaven.     If  the  fact  of  any 
one  prophecy  and  its  fulfilment  be  proved,  the  fact 
of  the  Divine  Inspiration  of  the  agent  announcing  the 
prophecy  is  also  proved. 

37.  A  few  only  of  the  numerous  prophecies  con- 
tained in  the  New  Testament  are  selected  to  illustrate 
this  branch  of  the  subject. 

E.  We  find  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  informing  his 
disciples  beforehand  that  he  would  be  betrayed  to  the 
chief  priests  and  scribes ;  that  they  would  condemn 
him  to  death,  and  deliver  him  to  the  gentiles ;  and 
that,  after  the  most  insulting  and  cruel  treatment,  he 
would  be  crucified,  and  after  three  days  rise  again 
from  the  dead.    Matt,  xvi,  21 ;  xvii,  22 ;  xx,  18-19 . 
Mark  viii,  31 ;  ix,  31 ;  x;  33-34 ;  Luke  ix,  22 ;  xviii,' 
31-33.    All  these  predictions  to  the  very  letter  were 
fulfilled  in  the  sufferings,  death  and  resurrection  of 
our  blessed  Lord. 

F.  The   descent  of    the    Holy  Ghost    upon    the 
apostles,   and  the  power  of  working  miracles  and 
speaking  with  other  tongues  are  distinctly  foretold, 


56  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

and  the  full  accomplishment  of  all  these  distinctly 
recorded.  Luke  xxiv,  49  ;  Mark  xvi,  17-18 ;  Acts  ii. 
G.  The  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  its  celebrated 
temple,  the  period  when  this  awful  event  would  take 
place,  the  signs  which  would  precede  it,  the  dreadful 
miseries  and  calamities,  and  the  total  ruin  that  would 
then  befall  the  Jewish  nation,  are  clearly,  distinctly 
and  minutely  predicted.  Mat.  xxiii,  37-38  and  xxiv, 
2-21 ;  Mark  xiii,  2-22 ;  Luke  xiii,  34-35  and  xix,  23 
and  xxi,  6-24.  In  the  history  of  Josephus,  and  in 
the  Roman  and  other  historians,  of  that  and  later 
periods,  and  in  the  history  of  the  homeless,  fugitive 
Jews,  scattered  through  all  nations  for  1800  years, 
we  have  the  full  and  distinct  account  of  the  perfect 
fulfilment  of  this  most  remarkable  and  stupendous 
prediction. 

THE  OLD  TESTAMENT  GENUINE  AND  AUTHENTIC. 

38.  The  writings  of  the  Old  Testament,  although 
usually  bound  in  one  volume,   and  like  the  New 
Testament,  by  many  considered  as  but  one  book,  con- 
sist of  thirty-nine  different  books,  written  by  nearly 
as  many  different  authors,  at  different  times  during  a 
period  of  more  than  a  thousand  years,  from  the  death 
of  Moses,  A.  M.  2555  to  the  close  of  the  prophecy  of 
Malachi  in  A.  M.  3580. 

39.  The  best  account  we  have  of  these  writers  is 
contained  in  the  books  themselves  and  in  the  books 
of  the  New  Testament,  and  it  would  be  an  interesting 
employment  to  draw  the  character  of  each  writer  as 
given  in  those  authentic    records.      But  here  that 
would  be  out  of  place,  and  it  must  suffice  to  observe 
that  amongst  them  we  find  statesmen  rich  in  the 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  57 

experience  and  wisdom  acquired  in  the  government 
of  mighty  empires,  distinguished  warriors,  power- 
ful kings,  humble  shepherds,  poets,  prophets,  and 
historians,  and  embracing  talents  and  arguments, 
modes  of  thought  and  expression  as  various,  as  were 
their  learning,  natural  abilities,  occupation  or 
employment. 

40.  We  have  the  uncontradicted  tradition  of  the 
Jews,  whose  political  history  these  books  record,  to 
their  genuineness  and  truth.  From  the  time  the  first 
of  them  was  written,  their  care  and  preservation  were 
assigned  to  a  particular  tribe,  specially  set  apart  for 
that  and  similar  purposes.  On  their  face  they  have 
every  mark  of  genuine  and  authentic  records.  They 
contain  many  things  to  the  disadvantage  of  the 
nation  ;  they  abound  in  particulars  of  dates,  places 
and  persons ;  but  above  all,  they  record  the  final 
deliverance  from  bondage,  and  the  written  laws  and 
ordinances  of  a  whole  people,  existing  at  the  present 
time,  and  adhering  to  and  regulated  by  these  laws 
and  ordinances. 

41.  It  will  scarcely  be  contended  by  any  that  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  Laws  of  Congress  did  not  exist 
from  the  time  they  purport  to  have  existed.  This 
illustration  in  part,  has  already  been  used  in  refer- 
ence to  the  books  of  the  New  Testament  (No.  17). 
As  it  respects  the  five  books  of  Moses  the  parallel  is 
complete.  The  4th  day  of  July  is  the  birthday  of 
one  people,  from  the  oppression  of  Great  Britain; 
the  15th  day  of  the  month  Abib,  is  the  birthday  of 
the  other  people  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt ;  and 
these  days  are  annually  celebrated  by  each  people 
respectively.  The  constitution  and  laws  of  the 


58  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

United  States  have,  since  their  first  existence,  been 
received  by  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and  by 
them  are  our  people  at  this  time  regulated  and  gov- 
erned. The  laws,  ordinances  and  ceremonies  given 
by  Moses  to  the  Hebrews,  were  also  received  by  that 
people,  and  by  them  are  the  Jews,  at  this  time,  regu- 
lated and  governed.  By  reference  to  the  cases  already 
considered  (Nos.  16,  26)  it  will  be  seen  that  the  sup- 
position of  forgery  and  falsehood  in  either  of  these 
cases  is  impossible  and  absurd. 

42.  The  nations  existing  at  the  time  the  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  were  written  have  all  disappeared. 
These  books,  and  these  alone,  give  us  the  history  of 
the  rise  and  fall  of  Edom,  Moab,  Ammon,  Midian, 
Philistia  and  of  Amalik.  Ancient  Egypt  is  now  no 
more;  Assyria,  Nineveh  and  Tyre  have  for  ages 
ceased  to  exist,  and  many  generations  have  passed 
away  since  the  once  great  and  mighty  Babylon  has 
been  swept  with  the  besom  of  desolation ;  their 
records,  their  histories,  their  monuments  have  shared 
the  same  fate — destruction  and  oblivion  have  passed 
upon  all.  With  the  solitary  exception  of  one  Jewish 
historian,  when  we  leave  the  pages  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment writings,  fable,  tradition,  and  a  few  scattered 
fragments  of  the  historians  of  later  nations,  are  all 
that  remain.  The  history  of  Josephus  is  the  only  one 
which  speaks  of  the  times  and  the  things  related  in 
these  books,  and  he  wrote  fourteen  hundred  years 
after  the  first,  and  four  hundred  years  after  the  last 
of  the  Old  Testament  writers.  But  it  will  be  shown 
hereafter  that  this  absence  of  historical  evidence  is 
abundantly  supplied  by  proof  of  another  kind,  the 
most  decisive  and  conclusive. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  59 


THE  OLD  TESTAMENT  DIVINELY  INSPIEED. 

43.  Miracles. — The  writers  of  the  Old  Testament 
claim  to  have  written  under  the  guidance  of  Divine 
Inspiration,  and  they  prove  the  truth  of  their  claim 
by  miracles  and  prophecy.  If  it  be  admitted  that  the 
claim  to  both  or  to  either  is  well  founded,  the  ques- 
tion is  settled  by  that  admission.  Let  us  examine 
them  separately. 

The  miracles  performed  by  Moses  hold  the  first 
place  as  to  time  and  greatness.  Of  these,  it  might  be 
sufficient  to  observe  that  they  are  recorded  in  the 
same  books  which  contain  the  constitution,  laws  and 
ordinances  of  the  Hebrew  nation.  If  it  has  been  proved 
(Nos.  40,  41)  that  these  laws  have  existed  from  the 
time  they  are  said  to  have  existed,  the  fact  that  the 
miracles  were  then  performed  is  also  proved.  But  as 
this  point  is  of  acknowledged  importance,  let  us 
examine  it  more  particularly.  These  miracles  are  : 
That  for  the  deliverance  of  Israel,  ten  destructive 
plagues,  at  the  word  of  Moses,  were  brought  upon 
the  Egyptians  ;  that  an  arm  of  the  Arabian  Gulf  was 
divided,  and  the  whole  host  of  Israel  passed  through 
on  dry  land ;  that  a  cloud  by  day  and  a  pillar  of  fire 
by  night  went  before  them  ;  that  in  the  desert  manna 
from  heaven  was  their  daily  food,  water  from  the 
barren  rock  was  their  daily  drink  for  the  space  of 
forty  years ;  that  while  encamped  at  Mount  Sinai 
they  witnessed  a  most  astonishing,  awful  and  stupen- 
dous display  of  Divine  power,  majesty  and  glory. 
These  and  other  miracles  are  said  to  have  been  wit- 
nessed by  a  whole  nation,  by  the  entire  population, 
consisting  of  six  hundred  thousand  men,  besides 


60  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

women  and  children,  and  a  mixed  multitude  from 
other  nations. 

Now  it  will  be  admitted,  or  can  easily  be  proved, 
that  this  same  people  exist  at  the  present  day,  and 
that  they  firmly  believe  that  these  miracles  were  per- 
formed, and  seen  by  their  fathers,  as  we  find  them 
recorded  in  the  books  of  Moses. 

If  the  account  of  these  miracles  is  false,  and  is  a 
forgery,  it  must  be  an  imposition  of  the  age  when 
they  are  said  to  have  been  performed,  or  an  imposi- 
tion of  some  subsequent  age.  But  it  could  not  be  the 
first,  because  a  whole  people  had  personal  knowledge 
of  the  subject ;  it  relates  to  facts  about  which  they 
could  not  be  mistaken  or  deceived,  and  by  no  possi- 
bility could  they  be  brought  to  believe  what  they 
knew  to  be  false.  Neither  could  the  account  be  an 
imposition  of  a  later  period.  The  books  which  record 
the  miracles  contain  also  the  constitution  and  laws  of 
the  whole  people.  They  claim  to  have  been  written 
at  the  time  of  that  deliverance,  and  assert  that  the 
generation  then  existing  witnessed  all  the  facts,  and 
submitted  to  and  were  regulated  by  the  laws  there 
recorded.  Now,  suppose  all  this  to  be  a  forgeiy  first 
brought  forward  100  or  500  years  after  the  Exodus. 
Is  it  possible  that  the  generation  then  existing  could 
be  induced  to  believe  that  for  100  or  500  years  they 
and  their  fathers  had  been  governed  by  peculiar  laws, 
of  which  they  had  never  heard  till  that  time  ?  Or 
that  numerous  and  stupendous  miracles  had  been  per- 
formed in  the  presence  of  their  forefathers,  of  which 
also  they  had  never  heard  before  ?  The  statement  of 
these  questions  shows  the  supposition  to  be  impos- 
sible and  absurd. 

44.   Prophecies.  —  The    numerous    and    astonish- 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  61 

ing  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament  prove  its  di- 
vine origin.  A  few  of  these  only  can  be  here 
noticed. 

Of  Ismael,  the  son  of  Abraham,  and  the  father  of 
the  tribes  of  Arabia,  it  was  foretold  before  his  birth 
that  he  should  be  a  wild  ass  man  : — That  his  hand 
should  be  against  every  man,  and  every  man's  hand 
against  him — and  that  he  should  be  the  father  of  a 
great  nation.  The  accomplishment  of  the  prophecy 
has  been  written  in  the  history  of  this  remarkable 
people  for  the  last  four  thousand  years.  In  every  age 
and  to  this  day  these  tribes  are  as  free  as  the  wild  ass 
of  the  desert.  "  Their  house  is  in  the  wilderness  and 
the  barren  land  their  dwelling."  They  have  repelled 
the  greatest  efforts,  of  Eygpt,  of  Assyria  and  of  Borne, 
made  against  them  in  the  days  of  the  greatest  strength 
and  power  of  those  kingdoms  ;  and  as  in  former  times, 
so  at  this  day  "  they  scorn  the  multitude  of  the  cities, 
their  hand  is  still  against  every  man,  and  the  hand  of 
every  man  is  still  against  them." 

45.  The  prophecies  relating  to  the  property  of 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  are  numerous  ;  many  have 
been  fulfilled,  some  are  now  fulfilling,  and  some  are 
yet  future.  Let  us  examine  one  delivered  by  Moses 
three  thousand  two  hundred  years  ago.  "And  the 
Lord  shall  scatter  thee  among  all  people  from  the  one 
end  of  the  earth  even  unto  the  other  ;  and  among  all 
these  nations  shalt  thou  find  no  ease,  neither  shall  the 
sole  of  thy  foot  have  rest ;  but  the  Lord  shall  give 
thee  there  a  trembling  heart,  and  failing  of  eyes,  and 
sorrow  of  mind ;  and  thy  life  shall  hang  in  doubt  be- 
fore thee  ;  and  thou  shalt  fear  day  and  night,  and 
shalt  have  none  assurance  for  thy  life ;  and  thou  shalt 
become  an  astonishment,  a  proverb  and  a  bye-word, 


62  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

among  all  nations  whither  the  Lord  shall  lead  thee." 
Deut.  xxviii,  64-67. 

These  few  lines  contain  the  history  of  the  Jews  for 
the  last  seventeen  hundred  years  ;  and  no  historian 
could  describe  their  actual  condition  during  that 
period,  and  as  now  existing  in  language  more  appro- 
priate than  that  used  by  the  prophet  thirty  centuries 
ago.  The  wonderful  accomplishment  of  the  prophecy 
comes  home  to  our  personal  knowledge.  We  know 
that  this  people,  separate  and  distinct  from  all  others, 
are  scattered  among  all  nations  ;  and  we  know  that 
their  condition  in  every  country  is  here  truly  de- 
scribed. And  what  is  most  extraordinary,  and  ap- 
parently impossible,  is  that  our  own  blessed  country, 
this  enlightened  land  of  equal  rights,  this  home  of 
the  oppressed  and  persecuted  of  all  nations,  forms  no 
exception  !  Even  with  us,  public  sentiment  is  against 
them,  and  proscribes  and  persecutes  them  in  a  thou- 
sand ways  ;  in  many  things  dearest  to  the  heart  of 
man,  our  equal  right  to  them  are  but  a  name ;  and 
altho'  the  existence  of  this  fact  is  not  honorable  to  us, 
yet  we  do  know  that  the  Jew  is  still  a  proverb  and  a 
bye-word  amongst  us.  Their  existence  as  a  distinct 
people,  thus  dispersed,  and  thus  persecuted,  is  a 
standing  miracle,  which  all  the  infidel  philosophers 
in  the  world  cannot  contradict,  nor  on  their  principles 
explain. 

46.  In  the  year  B.C.  975,  we  find  the  union  of  the 
Hebrew  states  broken,  and  the  tribes  of  Israel  exist- 
ing under  two  separate  and  hostile  governments.  The 
able  but  ambitious  and  profligate  ruler  of  the  ten 
tribes,  acting  on  the  councils  of  a  crooked  worldly 
policy,  had  erected  places  of  worship  in  his  own 
dominions,  to  prevent  his  people  from  going  to  the 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  63 

territories  of  the  rival  where  the  temple  was  built, 
and  where  by  the  law  of  Moses  the  whole  people 
were  required  to  assemble.  In  this  state  of  hostile 
rivalry  a  prophet  from  Judah,  in  the  presence  of 
Jeroboam,  predicted  "that  a  child  born  unto  the 
house  of  David,  Josiah  by  name,  should  defile  his 
altar,  and  burn  the  bones  of  dead  men  upon  it," 
I  Kings  xiii,  2.  This  prophecy  could  not  take  place 
until  the  power  of  two  tribes,  governed  by  the  house 
of  David,  should  be  extended  over  the  other  ten, 
which  at  that  time  was  most  unlikely.  Yet  in  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years  we  have  the  record  of  its  ful- 
filment to  the  very  letter.  II  Kings  xxiii,  15. 

47.  About  the  year  B.C.  600  we  find  the  kingdom 
of  Judah  under  subjection  to  the  king  of  Babylon. 
Part  of  the  people  had  been  carried  captive  into  As- 
syria, and  part  were  in  India  under  Zedekiah,  the 
tributary  of  Nebuchadnezzer.  After  a  reign  of  eleven 
years  of  oppression  and  injustice  Zedekiah  rebelled 
against  the  king  of  Babylon.  At  this  time  the 
prophet  Jeremiah  resided  in  Jerusalem,  and  the 
prophet  Ezekiel  in  the  land  of  Assyria.  Each  pre- 
dicted the  result  of  the  coming  contest,  and  particu- 
larly what  would  befall  the  Hebrew  monarch.  An  ap- 
parent direct  contradiction  between  these  two  prophets 
afforded  abundant  ground  of  cavil  to  the  persecuting 
infidels,  and  time-serving  courtiers  of  that  day.  Jere- 
miah predicted  that  Zedekiah  should  see  the  king  of 
Babylon,  and  be  carried  to  Babylon.  Ezekiel,  that 
he  should  not  see  Babylon.  Jeremiah,  that  he  should 
die  in  peace,  and  be  buried  after  the  manner  of  his 
ancestors.  Ezekiel,  that  he  should  die  at  Babylon, 
Jer.  xxxii,  1-5  ;  Ez.  xii,  13.  But  the  history  shewed 
both  prophets  to  have  been  right,  and  that  there  was 


64  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

no  error  in  the  Spirit  by  which  they  spoke.  "  So  they 
took  the  king,  and  brought  him  up  to  the  king  of 
Babylon  to  Reblah  ;  and  they  gave  judgments  upon 
him.  And  they  slew  the  sons  of  Zedekiah  before  his 
eyes,  and  put  out  the  eyes  of  Zedekiah,  and  bound 
him  with  fetters  of  brass,  and  carried  him  to  Baby- 
lon." II  Kings  xxv,  6-7. 

48.  Eygpt,  Ethiopia,  Nineveh  and  Tyre  were  at  dif- 
ferent times  the  most  powerful  states  of  antiquity ; 
and  Edom,   Moab,  Ammon  and  Philistia  were  com- 
munities of  more  or  less  importance  and  all  of  long 
standing.     All  these  were  the  objects  of  minute,  de- 
finite and  specific  prophecy ;  and  their  history  and 
their  present  desolation  shew  that  the  predictions  of 
their  fate,  were  given  by  Him  who  knows  the  end 
from  the  beginning. 

49.  Babylon  was  long  the  seat  of  power  and  do- 
minion in  the  eastern  world  ;  and  there  also  was  the 
seat  of  commerce,  of  manufactures,  and  of  the  me- 
chanic and  fine  arts.     Learning  and  science  took  up 
their  abode  there.  Her  buildings,  her  hanging  gardens, 
her  walls  and  brazen  gates  have  in  all  ages  been  the 
wonder  of  the  world.    In  the  year  B.C.  550  this  empire 
was  in  the  full  height  of  strength  and  power  under  an 
able  statesman,  the  first  warrior  of  that  age.     How 
strange  to  those  who  would  neither  believe  nor  re- 
gard, must  have  appeared  the  predictions  of  the  utter 
ruin,   and  perpetual    desolation    of  such  a  mighty 
empire.      But  years  in  advance  had  the  God  of  Israel 
by  his  prophets  foretold  her  overthrow,  and  placed 
on  record  the  very  name  of  her  conquerer.    And  as  if 
to  leave  the  infidels  of  the  present  day  without  excuse 
for  saying  that  these  predictions  were  forgeries  after 
the  events  had  taken  place,  the  pen  of  Divine  Inspira- 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  65 

tion  has  described  the  perpetual  ruin,  which  yet  rests 
upon  this  glory  of  kingdoms  ;  and  thus  from  age  to 
age,  has  a  standing  miracle  been  exhibited  to  the 
world,  which  stamps  the  record  with  the  seal  of 
Divine  truth,  and  sets  infidelity  and  cavil  at  defiance. 

"  Babylon  shall  become  a  possession  for  the  bit- 
terns, and  pools  of  water,  the  wild  beast  of  the  desert 
shall  dwell  there  ;  and  the  owls  shall  dwell  therein. 
Babylon  the  glory  of  kingdoms,  shall  become  heaps, 
a  dwelling  place  for  dragons,  an  astonishment,  and  an 
hiving  without  an  inhabitant ;  she  shall  sink  and 
shall  not  rise  from  the  evil  that  I  shall  bring  upon 
her.  As  God  overthrew  Sodom  and  Gomorah,  and 
the  neighbouring  cities  thereof,  so  shall  no  man  dwell 
there,  neither  shall  any  son  of  man  dwell  therein.  It 
shall  be  no  more  inhabited  forever ;  neither  shall  it 
be  dwelt  in  from  generation  to  generation.  Neither 
shall  the  Arabian  pitch  tent  there  ;  neither  shall  the 
shepherds  make  their  fold  there.  But  wild  beasts  of 
the  desert  shall  be  there,  and  their  houses  shall  be 
full  of  doleful  creatures,  and  owls  shall  dwell  there, 
and  dragons  in  their  pleasant  palaces."  Isa.  xlv,  1-3  ; 
Jer.  1,  39-40,  and  li,  26,  37,  64 ;  Isa.  xiii,  19-22,  50. 

The  prophet  Daniel  was  preeminent  in  wisdom  and 
piety,  and  the  most  distinguished  statesman  of  the 
age.  Under  the  greatest  Babylonian  monarch  and  his 
successors,  and  under  Cyrus  and  Darius,  from  his 
youth  to  extreme  old  age,  we  find  him  filling,  with 
purity  and  ability,  the  most  responsible  trusts  in  the 
greatest  empire  in  the  world.  Whilst  yet  a  young 
man  he  acquired  the  well-founded  confidence  of 
Nebuchadnezzer ;  and  his  distinguished  merits  and 
abilities  insured  to  him  the  lasting  friendship  and 
esteem  of  Cyrus  and  of  Darius.  In  his  writings  the 


66  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

transfer,  by  conquest,  of  the  empire  to  the  Medes  and 
Persians,  the  subversion  of  that  power  by  the 
Grecians,  the  division  into  four  parts  which  followed 
the  death  of  the  Grecian  conquerer,  and  the  rise  of 
the  Roman  government,  were  all  foretold  in  language 
so  definite,  that  the  historian  of  these  great  events 
has  but  filled  up  the  specific  outline  of  the  prophet. 
Dan.  ii,  39-40,  and  vii,  17-24,  and  viii  and  ix. 

This  series  of  remarkable  prophecies  has  very 
much  annoyed  and  pressed  the  advocates  of  infidelity. 
Distinguished  and  able  men  of  that  party  have  given 
reasons  for  their  unbelief  directly  in  conflict  with 
each  other.  The  learned  and  sagacious  Porphyry,  in 
the  third  century,  contended  that,  between  the  proph- 
ecies of  Daniel  and  the  record  of  history,  the  parallel 
was  so  complete  that  the  predictions  were  forgeries  of 
a  period  after  the  events  had  occurred.  Jefferson, 
however,  in  the  nineteenth  century,  thought  other- 
wise ;  but  equally  unwilling  to  admit  the  agency  of 
Divine  influence,  he  contends,  "  that  the  whole  of  the 
prophecies  were  fumes  of  the  most  disordered  imagi- 
nation; that  it  was  only  by  the  aid  of  allegories,  figures, 
types,  and  other  tricks  and  words,  that  the  events 
now  and  then  turning  up  in  the  course  of  ages  could 
be  accommodated  to  these  vague  rhapsodies."*  No 
argument  is  shaken  by  naked  assertion  or  indecent 
cavils  ;  and  the  cause  must  be  desperate  which  affords 
its  ablest  advocates  no  other  ground  of  defense.  In 
the  present  case,  the  operation  of  the  one  shows 
that  he  had  compared  the  prophecy  with  the  histor- 
ical evidence  of  its  fulfilment ;  but  instead  of  going 
one  step  further,  and  examining  the  evidence  for  the 


*  Jefferson  Mem.,  vol.  iv,  p.  325,  let.  153. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  67 

time  when  the  prophecy  was  written,  he  rests  the 
argument  on  an  assertion  which  is  contradicted  by  the 
clearest  testimony.  The  contemptible  cavil  of  the 
other  shews  only  that  he  had  not  examined  the  sub- 
ject at  all.  It  is  just  what  might  be  expected  from 
one  who  declares  that  "he  rested  on  the  writings  of 
Priestly  and  Middle  ton  as  the  basis  of  his  truth."* 
A  poor  basis  truly,  and  a  strange  faith  which  thus 
rests  contented  in  ignorance  and  unbelief. 

51.  The  series  of  prophecies  in  the  Old  Testament 
respecting  the  Messiah,  and  their  accomplishment  in 
the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  recorded  in  the  New, 
furnishes  to  every  lover  of  truth  a  field  of  most  inter- 
esting inquiry,  and  leads  to  results  on  which  the 
human  mind  can  rest  with  perfect  certainty.  If  these 
prophecies  have  been  fulfiled,  they  prove  the  divine 
origin  of  the  Old  Testament.  If  they  have  been  ful- 
filed in  Jesus  Christ,  they  prove  Him  to  have  been 
the  promised  Messiah.  Our  Lord  Himself  challenges 
investigation  on  this  point.  "  Search  the  Scriptures, 
for  they  are  they  that  testify  of  me."  Again  and 
again  do  the  New  Testament  writers  assert,  that  in 
the  instances  they  were  then  recording,  the  ancient 
prophecies  were  fulfiled.  To  reach  the  truth  on  this 
most  important  subject,  no  great  or  splendid  talents 
are  necessary .  It  is  level  to  the  capacity  of  all.  Here 
is  the  prophecy  ;  there  is  what  is  said  to  be  the  fulfil- 
ment. Are  they  parallel  1  Do  they  correspond  with 
each  other?  A  few  instances,  as  specimens  merely, 
will  be  here  noticed. 

H.  Where  the  Messiah  should  be  born. 

Prophecy. — "And    thou    Bethlehem    Ephratah, 


*  Jefferson's  Mem.,  vol.  iv,  p.  206,  let.  112. 


68  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

though  thou  be  little  among  the  thousands  of  Judah, 
yet  out  of  thee  shall  he  come  forth  unto  me,  that  is  to 
be  ruler  in  Israel ;  whose  going  forth  has  been  of  old, 
from  the  days  of  eternity."  Micah  v,  2. 

Fulfilment. — "And  Joseph  went  forth  from  Galilee, 
out  of  the  City  of  Nazareth,  into  Judea,  unto  the 
city  of  David,  which  is  called  Bethlehem,  (because 
he  was  of  the  house  and  lineage  of  David,)  to  be 
taxed,  with  Mary,  his  espoused  wife,  being  great  with 
child.  And  so  it  was,  that  while  they  were  there  the 
days  were  accomplished  that  she  should  be  delivered. 
And  she  brought  forth  her  first-born  son,  and  wrapped 
him  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  laid  him  in  a  manger ; 
because  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn." 
Luke  ii,  4-7. 

/.  The  Messiah  should  be  born  of  a  virgin. 

Prophecy. — "  Therefore  the  Lord  himself  shall  give 
you  a  sign  ;  behold  a  virgin  shall  conceive,  and  bear  a 
son,  and  shall  call  his  name  Immanuel."  Isa.  vii,  14. 
Fulfilment. — "But  while  he  thought  on  these 
things,  behold  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto 
him  in  a  dream,  saying,  Joseph,  thou  son  of  David, 
fear  not  to  take  unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife,  for  that 
which  is  conceived  in  her  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And 
she  shall  bring  forth  a  son,  and  thou  shalt  call  his 
name  Jesus :  for  He  shall  save  his  people  from  their 
sins."  Mat.  i,  20-21 ;  also  Luke  i,  26-35. 

J.  The  Messiah  should  be  God  and  man. 

Prophecy. — "  For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us 
a  son  is  given,  and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his 
shoulder ;  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful 
Counsellor,  the  mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father, 
the  Prince  of  Peace."  Is.  ix,  6  ;  also  Ps.  ii,  7  and  ex, 
1 ;  Mec.  v,  2. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  69 

Fulfilment. — In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and 
the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God. 
And  the  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  amongst  us, 
and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  be- 
gotten of  the  Father  full  of  grace  and  truth."  John  i, 
1,  14.  Whose  are  the  fathers,  and  of  whom  as  con- 
cerning the  flesh  Christ  came,  who  is  over  all,  God 
blessed  for  ever,  Amen."  Rom.  ix,  5.  "For  in  Him 
dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily."  Col. 
ii,  9.  "  But  now  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  a  man  that  hath 
told  you  the  truth."  John  viii,  40.  "  This  is  the  true 
God  and  eternal  life."  I  John  v,  6-20  ;  also  Heb.  i, 
1-8  ;  Mat.  xxii,  42-44  and  i,  23. 

K.  Messiah  should  be  destitute  of  outward  power. 

Prophecy. — "He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men  ; 
a  man  of  sorrow  and  acquainted  with  grief ;  and  we 
hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  him  ;  he  was  despised 
and  we  esteemed  him  not."  Is.  liii,  3. 

Fulfilment. — "And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Foxes 
have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests  ;  but 
the  son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head." 
Luke  ix,  58.  "  For  ye  know  the  'grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that,  though  He  was  rich  yet  for  your 
sakes  He  became  poor,  that  ye  through  His  poverty 
might  be  rich."  II  Cor.  viii,  9. 

L.  His  Mission  and  Doctrines  confirmed  by  mira- 
cles. 

Prophecy. — "  Then  the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be 
opened,  and  the  ears  of  the  deaf  shall  be  unstopped  ; 
then  shall  the  lame  leap  as  an  hare,  and  the  tongue  of 
the  dumb  shall  sing."  Is.  xxxv,  5-6. 

"I  the  Lord  have  called  thee  in  righteousness,  and 
will  hold  thine  hand,  and  will  keep  thee,  and  give 
thee  for  a  covenant,  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles  ;  to 


70  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

open  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  to  bring  out  the  prisoners 
from  the  prison,  and  them  that  set  in  darkness  out 
of  the  prison  house."  Is.  xlii,  6-7. 

Fulfilment. — "And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Go  and 
shew  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do  hear  and 
see  ;  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk, 
the  lepers  are  cleansed,  the  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the 
poor  have  the  gospel  preached  unto  them."  Mat.  xi, 
4^-5 ;  also  Mat.  iv,  23-24  and  xv,  31 ;  Luke  viii,  54. 

M.  Messiah  should  suffer  insult  and  cruel  mock- 
ings. 

PropJiecy. — "  But  I  am  a  worm  and  no  man  ;  a  re- 
proach of  men,  and  despised  of  the  people.  All  they 
that  see  me  laugh  me  to  scorn,  they  shoot  out  the  lip, 
they  shake  the  head  saying,  He  trusted  in  the  Lord 
that  He  would  deliver  Him  ;  let  Him  deliver  Him  see- 
ing he  delighted  in  Him."  Ps.  xxii,  7-8. 

Fulfilment. — "And  they  that  passed  by  reviled 
Him  wagging  their  heads,  and  saying  Thou  that 
destroyest  the  temple  and  buildest  it  in  three  days, 
save  Thyself.  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God  come  down 
from  the  cross.  Likewise  also  the  chief  priests  mock- 
ing Him,  with  the  scribes  and  elders,  said,  He  saved 
others  Himself  He  cannot  save.  If  He  be  the  king  of 
Israel  let  Him  now  come  down  from  the  cross  and  we 
will  believe  in  Him.  He  trusted  in  God ;  let  Him 
deliver  Him  now  if  He  will  have  Him  ;  for  He  said  '  I 
am  the  Son  of  God.'  "  Mat.  xxvii,  39-43 ;  also  Mark 
xv,  31-32  ;  Luke  xxiii,  35-36. 

N.  Messiah  should  suffer  death  for  the  sins  of 
others. 

Prophecy. — "But  He  was  wounded  for  our  trans- 
gressions, He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the 
chastisement  of  our  fear  was  upon  Him ;  and  with  His 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  71 

stripes  we  are  healed.  ...  He  was  taken  from 
prison  and  from  judgment ;  and  who  shall  declare  His 
generation  ?  for  He  was  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the 
living :  for  the  transgression  of  my  people  was  He 
stricken.  .  .  .  He  poured  out  His  soul  unto  the 
death  ;  and  He  was  numbered  with  transgressors  ;  and 
He  bore  the  sins  of  many,  and  made  intercession  for 
the  transgressor."  Is.  liii,  5,  8,  12. 

Fulfilment. — "And  it  was  the  third  hour  and  they 
crucified  Him.  And  with  Him  they  crucify  two 
thieves,  the  one  on  His  right  hand,  and  the  other  on 
His  left.  And  the  Scripture  was  fulfiled,  which 
saith,  and  He  was  numbered  with  the  transgressors." 
Mark  xv,  25-28.  "Who  His  own  self  bore  our  sins 
in  His  own  body  on  the  tree,  that  we  being  dead  to 
sins,  should  live  unto  righteousness,  by  whose  stripes 
ye  were  healed."  I  Pet.  ii,  24;  also  Mat.  viii,  17; 
John  i,  29  ;  Heb.  ix,  28. 

O.  The  manner  of  the  death  and  burial  of  the 
Messiah. 

Prophecy. — "And  His  grave  was  appointed  with 
the  wicked  ;  But  with  the  rich  man  was  His  tomb." 
Isa.  liii,  9.* 

Fulfilment. — "When  the  even  was  come,  there 
came  a  rich  man  of  Asemathea  named  Joseph, 


*Bishop  Lowth  translation. 

i*op  D'yan  nN  pi 
vnon  -wy  n*o 

The  parallel  passages,  Deut.  xxxii,  13  ;  Is.  Iviii,  14  ;  Amos 
iv,  13  ;  Mic.  i,  3  ;  Isa.  xiv,  14  ;  Job.  ix,  8,  shew  that  *J1DD 
signifies  heights  or  high  places.  From  II  Chron.  xxxii, 
33,  and  Isa.  xxii,  16,  the  Jewish  graves  are  shown  to  have 
been  in  high  situations.  Notes  Bishop  Lowth's  Isaiah. 


72  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

who  also  himself  was  Jesus'  disciple ;  he  went 
to  Pilate  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus.  Then 
Pilate  commanded  the  body  to  be  delivered.  And 
when  Joseph  had  taken  the  body,  he  wrapped 
it  in  a  clean  linen  cloth,  and  laid  it  in  his  own 
new  tomb,  which  he  had  hewn  out  of  the  rock ; 
and  he  rolled  a  great  stone  to  the  door  of  the 
sepulchre  and  departed."  Mat.  xxvii,  57-60. 

P.  The  Messiah  should  arise  from  the  dead  and 
ascend  to  heaven. 

Prophecy. — "  For  Thou  wilt  not  leave  my  soul  in 
the  grave,  neither  wilt  Thou  suffer  Thine  holy  one  to 
see  corruption."  Ps.  xvi,  10.  "Thou  hast  ascended 
up  on  high;  Thou  hast  led  captivity  captive."  Ps. 
Ixviii,  18. 

Fulfilment. — "And  the  angel  said  unto  them,  fear 
ye  not,  for  I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus  which  was 
crucified.  He  is  not  here  ;  for  he  has  risen  as  He  said, 
"Come  see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay."  Mat.  xxviii, 
5-6.  "To  whom  also  He  showed  Himself  alive  after 
His  passion,  by  many  infallible  proofs,  being  seen  of 
them  forty  days,  and  speaking  of  the  things  pertain- 
ing to  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  when  He  had 
spoken  these  things,  while  they  beheld,  He  was  taken 
up  ;  and  a  bright  cloud  received  Him  out  of  their 
sight."  Acts  i,  3-9  ;  also,  Acts  ii,  31  and  xiii,  35  ;  Luke 
xxiv,  5-6,  51 ;  Mark  xvi,  19. 

52.  The  distinct  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
apostles  to  the  truth  and  Divine  Inspiration  of  the 
Old  Testament,  is  of  itself  conclusive  and  most 
abundantly  supplies  any  want  of  historical  evidence, 
occasioned  by  the  loss  and  destruction  of  the  ancient 
records  of  other  nation.  .  .  .  From  numerous 
references  the  following  are  selected :  Mat.  xi,  13 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  73 

and  xxii,  40-43  ;  Luke  xvi,  16  and  xx,  42  and  xxiv, 
25-44  ;  Acts  i,  20  and  iii,  22  and  vii,  35-37  and  xxvi, 
22  and  xxviii,  23 ;  Eom.  x,  5 ;  II  Cor.  iii,  7-15 ;  II 
Tim.  iii,  14-17 ;  Heb.  vii,  14  and  x,  28. 

V.  Internal  evidences. 

53.  In  considering  what  are  usually  called  the  in- 
ternal evidences,  it  is  proper  distinctly  to  disclaim 
all  intention  of  bringing  the  doctrines  and  precepts 
of  the  Bible  to  be  judged  of  by  the  fallible  standard 
of  human  reason.  Much  injury  has  resulted  from 
this  practice,  and  it  cannot  be  too  carefully  guarded 
against  the  councils,  and  the  purpose  of  the  Divine 
mind, — what  is  proper  for  the  Almighty  to  do,  and 
what  is  proper  for  Him  to  reveal,  lie  all  beyond  the 
safe  legitimate  exercise  of  our  reasoning  powers. 
Giving  these  considerations,  however,  their  full  weight, 
it  will  be  found  that  a  careful  examination  of  the 
writings  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  will  lead  to 
very  satisfactory  conclusions. 

54.  The  works  of  Creation  and  Providence  reveal 
to  us  much  of  the  power,  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God. 
But  it  is  in  the  Bible  alone  that  we  have  revealed  to 
us  His  true  character  and  perfections.  "God  is  a 
Spirit  and  they  shall  worship  Him,  must  worship  in 
Spirit  and  in  truth."  John  iv,  24.  "He  is  the  King 
eternal,  immortal  invisible,  and  the  only  wise  God." 
I  Tern,  i,  17.  "He  is  the  Father  of  Light,  in 
whom  there  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of 
turning."  Jam.  i,  17.  "His  greatness  is  unsearch- 
able." Ps.  cxlv,  3.  "And  God  said  unto  Moses,  I 
am  that  I  am;  and  he  said,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto 
the  children  of  Isrsel,  I  am,  hath  sent  me  unto  you." 
Ex.  iii,  14.  "He  that  loveth  not  knoweth  not  God, 
for  God  is  Love."  I  John  iv,  8.  "And  the  Lord 


74  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

passed  by  before  him,  and  proclaimed  the  Lord,  the 
Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long  suffering  and 
abundant  in  goodness  and  truth  keeping  mercy  for 
thousands,  forgiving  iniquity,  transgression  and  sin, 
and  that  will  by  no  means  clean  the  guilty."  Ex. 
xxxiv,  6-7 ;  also  Col.  i,  16  ;  Dan.  iv,  34-35. 

A  comparison  is  most  confidently  invited  between 
these  extracts,  which  might  be  continued  to  great 
extent,  and  anything  that  ever  was  written  in  any 
age  and  nation,  not  having  the  Bible. 

55.  As  matters  of  fact  we  are  quite  able  to  compare 
the  system  of  Divine  truth  as  revealed  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures  with  the  different  systems  of  religion  which 
do  now  exist ;  or  which  in  any  prior  age  have  existed 
in  the  world.  None  who  have  the  Bible  are  now 
found  to  advocate  the  ancient  or  the  modern  supersti- 
tions of  heathenism.  Modern  infidelity  indeed  con- 
tends for  the  sufficiency  of  human  reason.  The  truths 
of  Divine  Revelation,  which  the  human  mind  in  a  long 
course  of  ages  had  not  discovered  are  now  used  and 
boasted  of,  as  the  productions  of  enlightened  reason. 
If  this  were  so,  how  did  it  happen  that  these  truths 
were  known  to  the  sages  and  philosophers,  of  Eygpt, 
of  Babylon,  of  Greece  and  Rome  ?  It  is  between  the 
writings  of  these  sages  and  philosophers  aided  by 
their  consuls,  their  kings  and  their  emperors  on  the 
one  side,  and  the  writings  of  the  shepherds,  the  herd- 
men  and  the  fishermen  of  Bethlehem,  of  Tekoa,  and 
of  Gallilee  on  the  other,  that  the  comparison  fairly 
rests.  Compare  then  the  systems  produced  by  this 
array  of  wealth,  human  learning  and  intelligence, 
with  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  and  unless  Divine  In- 
spiration be  admitted,  on  no  principle  known  to  us 
can  we  explain  the  difference. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  75 

56.  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  books  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testament  we  find  "  Holiness  to  the 
Lord"  written  as  with  a  sunbeam  on  every  page; 
most  appropriately,  indeed,  when  these  records  are 
bound  in  one  are  they  called  the  Holy  Bible.  There 
we  find  that  God  is  most  Holy,  that  heaven  is  a  holy 
place,  and  all  its  inhabitants  are  holy  ;  that  the  law 
of  God  is  holy,  that  the  road  to  heaven  is  a  holy  road, 
and  that  without  holiness  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord. 
"And  one  cried  to  another,  and  said,  Holy,  holy, 
holy,  is  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts ;  the  whole  earth  is 
full  of  his  glory."  Isa.  vi,  3.  "Be  ye  therefore  holy, 
for  lam  holy."  Ex.  xi,  45.  "God  sitteth  upon  the 
throne  of  his  holiness."  Ps.  xlvii,  8.  "And  there 
shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth, 
or  worketh  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie."  Rev.  xxi, 
27.  "For  thus  saith  the  High  and  the  Lofty  One 
that  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose  name  is  Holy,  I  dwell 
in  the  high  and  holy  place  with  him  also  that  is  of  a 
contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the 
humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones." 
Is.  Ivii,  15.  "Wherefore  the  law  is  holy;  and  the 
commandment  holy,  and  just,  and  good."  Eom.  vii,  12- 
13.  "  Worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness." 
I  Chr.  xvi,  29.  "And  an  highway  shall  be  there,  and 
a  way,  and  it  shall  be  called  the  way  of  holiness  ;  the 
unclean  shall  not  pass  over  it ;  the  wayfaring  men, 
though  fools,  shall  not  err  therein."  Is.  xxv,  8. 

The  holiness  and  purity  revealed  in  the  Bible,  and 
thus  required  by  all  its  precepts,  afford  the  most 
convincing  and  satisfying  evidence  of  its  heavenly 
origin.  Such  a  book  cannot  be  the  work  of  wicked 
men, — purity  and  holiness  is  the  very  opposite  of  all 
they  say  or  do.  Neither  can  it  be  the  work  of  good 


76  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

men, — because  they  would  not  attempt  to  deceive  the 
world  by  a  fabrication.  Infidelity  has  been  so  pressed 
by  these  considerations,  that  its  leaders  have  been 
forced  to  deny  the  holiness  of  the  Divine  Record. 
"  The  God  of  the  Jews"  says  one  "  would  be  deemed 
a  very  indifferent  man  with  us."  *  "  The  religion  of 
the  Jews,  as  taught  by  Moses,  had  presented  for  their 
worship  a  being  of  terrific  character,  cruel,  vindic- 
tive, capricious  and  unjust."  f  With  such  deliberate 
blasphemy  reason  has  nothing  to  do.  An  appeal  is 
made  to  the  Bible  itself ;  the  extracts  on  this  page 
alone  from  the  thousands  in  the  Bible,  set  the 
question  at  rest. 

57.  The  Divine  origin  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  is 
proved  from  their  power  and  efficiency  on  the  hearts 
conduct  of  men.  "He  that  believeth  hath  the 
witness  in  himself."  However  unlearned,  however 
ignorant,  every  child  of  grace  knows  his  Bible  to  be 
true,  and  can  tell  you  "  Whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I 
see."  The  infidel  hears  this  with  supreme  contempt ; 
the  feelings  of  a  few  deluded  enthusiasts  are  unworthy 
of  his  examination  and  regard.  But  it  is  not  merely 
a  few  of  whom  we  thus  speak.  Tens  and  hundreds 
of  thousands,  have  in  all  ages  given  the  same  account ; 
and  amongst  these  are  multitudes  of  superior  learn- 
ing and  abilities,  and  of  acknowleged  integrity  and 
sober  judgment ;  and  their  professions  have  been 
followed  by  a  correspondent  change  of  the  outward 
conduct,  and  a  walk  and  conversation  as  becometh 
the  gospel. 

The  effects  of  the  Bible  on  human  society  are 


*  Jefferson's  Mem.  Vol.  4,  pp.  271,  let.  130. 
f  Jefferson's  Mem.  Vol.  4,  pp.  326,  let.  153. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  77 

equally  evident.  The  spirit  of  its  Divine  precepts 
gives  to  society  its  firmest  bond  and  cement.  Here 
the  marriage  contract  reposes  on  the  principles  of  its 
first  institution ;  and  women,  unnaturally  degraded  in 
every  heathen  land,  have  been  restored  to  their  loved 
and  honored  place  in  the  family.  Are  these  the 
effects  of  a  cunningly-devised  fable  ?  Or  rather  are 
not  these  things  produced  by  the  words  of  eternal  life  ? 

The  uncorrupted  preservation  of  the  books  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments. 

58.  In  general  the  facts  and  arguments  already 
used  to  prove  these  books  genuine  and  authentic, 
prove  also  their  uncorrupted  preservation.  But  more 
particularly  the  Hebrew  Nation  have  in  every  age 
regarded  their  sacred  books  with  peculiar  reverence. 
Their  own  historians  assert  that  no  torments  could 
induce  them  to  change  a  single  letter.*  In  our 
Saviour's  time  upon  earth  the  nation  was  divided  into 
various  sects,  yet  we  do  not  find  that  they  charged 
each  other  with  having  corrupted  their  Scriptures. 
The  Pentateuch  contained  their  constitution  and 
laws  ;  the  book  of  Joshua  recorded  the  division  of 
their  possessions,  and  designated  the  boundaries  of 
the  different  tribes.  In  these  books,  forgery  at  first, 
or  alteration  afterwards,  was  impossible.  The  book 
of  Psalms  was  in  daily  use  in  the  temple  worship  ;  the 
proverbs  of  Solomon  were  in  every  cottage,  in  every 
tent.  While  the  temple  worship  continued,  and  the 
nation  existed  in  Palestine,  in  these  books  no  altera- 
tion could  take  place.  In  the  historical  records,  the 
parts  humbling  to  their  national  pride  would  have 
been  first  altered,  if  any  alteration  had  been  made  ; 

*  Phi.  a.  lus.  Ev.  lib,  8,  c.  g,  Jos.  Con.  Ap.  lib.  1,  §  8. 


78  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

but  these  parts,  and  they  are  numerous,  are  still  there. 
The  Samaritan  Pentaituch,  the  Chaldaic  paraphrase, 
and  the  Greek  translation,  were  each  a  separate  guard 
against  alteration.  The  prophets  from  Samuel  to 
Malachi  were  faithful  reprovers  of  every  sin ;  yet 
they  say  not  a  word  of  any  conniption,  either  of  the 
historical,  preceptive  or  prophetical  books.  To  all 
these  considerations  may  be  added,  what  is  indeed  of 
itself  conclusive,  that  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles 
never  bring  any  such  charge  against  the  Jews,  but 
repeatedly  refer  to  these  books  as  the  oracles  of 
God,  consisting  of  the  Law,  the  Prophets  and  the 
Psalms,  Luke  xxiv,  25-27,  44-46 ;  Rom.  iii,  2. 

59.  Since  the  Christian  era,  the  books  of  the  Old 
Testament  have  been  appealed  to  and  reverenced  both 
by  Jews  and  Christians.  No  alteration  could  have 
been  made  by  either  without  being  detected  by  the 
other.  The  Greek  translation  had  been  made  265 
years  before  that  period  ;  it  was  read  by  those  Jews 
who  understood  Greek,  and  by  such  Greeks  as  chose 
to  read  it,  in  every  part  of  the  Roman  Empire.  In 
the  second  century,  if  not  in  the  first,  these  books 
were  translated  into  the  Syriac  and  Latin,  and  in  the 
following  centuries  into  various  other  languages.  The 
Hebrew  manuscripts,  amounting  to  above  eleven  hun- 
dred in  number,  all  agree  with  each  other.  Under  all 
these  circumstances,  alteration  by  design  was  imprac- 
ticable and  impossible.  Mistakes  in  copying  have 
indeed  taken  place  ;  but  a  careful  examination  of  the 
different  copies  will  always  lead  to  true  reading. 
Thus  we  see  : 

1.  That  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  were  in  the  hands 
of  both  Christians  and  Jews,  and  appealed  to,  and 
reverenced,  and  guarded  by  each. 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  79 

2.  That  a  Greek  translation  existed  in  the  days  of 
the  apostles,  and  that  translations  into  other  languages 
quickly  followed. 

3.  That  amongst  the  numerous  manuscripts  col- 
lected from  all  parts  of  the  world,  there  is  an  agree- 
ment perfectly  substantial.    To  these  three  consider- 
ations nothing  further  need  be  added  to  prove  that 
the  Old  Testament  has  come  down  to  us  uncorrupted 
and  unaltered. 

60.  As  it  respects  the  books  of  the  New  Testamant, 
this  branch  of  the  subject  has  been  in  a  great  meas- 
ure anticipated.  The  facts  and  arguments  adduced 
(Nos.  14-27)  to  prove  that  the  books  of  the  New 
Testament  are  genuine  and  authentic,  prove  also  that 
they  have  come  down  to  us  pure  and  uncorrupted. 
It  will  not  be  contended  that  any  alteration  in  these 
books  could  take  place  during  the  lives  of  the  writers; 
and  no  historical  fact  is  better  established,  than  that 
during  their  lives  Christian  churches  were  estab- 
lished at  Jerusalem,  Rome,  Corinth,  Ephesus,  Damas- 
cus, Antioch,  and  many  other  cities  in  every  part  of 
the  Roman  Empire.  In  every  church  the  public 
reading  and  exposition  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  was  a 
part  of  their  stated  worship.  No  alteration  could 
take  place  without  the  knowledge  and  acquiescence 
of  both  teachers  and  people,  and  without  consent  on 
the  part  of  all  the  churches.  For  their  future  hopes 
founded  on  their  belief  of  the  truth  of  these  writings, 
the  primitive  Christians  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things, 
endured  every  species  of  persecution,  and  in  thou- 
sands of  instances,  death  itself.  Under  all  these  cir- 
cumstances, to  suppose  that  all  these  churches  would 
themselves  deliberately  alter  these  writings,  is  impos- 
sible and  absurd. 


80  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

61.  The  hostility  of  the  Jews  was  co-eval  with  the 
first  rise  of  Christianity,  and  has  continued  to  the 
present  day.    If  any  change  had  been  made  in  the 
sacred  books  of  the  Christians,  these  bitter  opponents, 
as  well  as  their  heathen  adversaries,  would  soon  have 
charged  them  with  it.    Various  sects  also  soon  made 
their   appearance    in    the    Christian    Church ;     and 
various  heresies  existed  from  the  days  of  the  apostles. 
In  all  controversies  with  their  different  opponents, 
the  Christian  Church  appealed  to  the  Scriptures  as  to 
a  perfect  standard.    With  so  many  seeking  occasion 
against  them,  with  so  many  continually  watching  to 
do  them  hurt,  with  Jews,  heathens  and  heretics  on 
every  side,  alteration  or  corruption  in  the  record  was 
impossible. 

62.  Another  satisfactory  consideration  arises  from 
the  agreement  of  all  the  manuscripts  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, which  have  come  down  to  us.  Mistakes  in  copy- 
ing exist  in  great  numbers ;  but  in  no  one  material 
article  do  these  mistakes  make  any  alteration.     The 
worst  manuscript  extant  would  not  pervert  one  doc- 
trine, or  destroy  one  moral  precept.  By  a  comparison 
of  these  manuscripts  with  each  other  these  mistakes 
are  discoverable,  and  scriptural  criticism  has  already 
in  most  cases  restored  the  true  reading.      The  agree- 
ment of  so  many  separate  and  independent  witnesses 
from  all  parts  of  Asia,  Africa  and  Europe,  proves  that 
the  sacred  pages  have  come  down  to  us  pure  and  un- 
altered. 

63.  The  agreement  of  the  various  translations  of 
the  New  Testament  with  each  other,  and  with  our 
present  Greek  text,  shows  to  a  demonstration  that 
from  the  period  when  these  translations  were  made, 
no  change  has  taken  place  in  the  original  record.  The 


DIVINE  REVELATION.  81 

Latin  and  Syriac  translations  were  made  in  the  second 
century,  if  not  in  the  first,  as  many  learned  men 
believe,  the  Gothic,  A.D.  400;  the  Egyptian,  A.D. 
500 ;  the  English,  A.D.  700;  the  Persian,  A.D.  900. 
These  dates  are  placed  at  periods  when  all  admit  that 
these  translations  existed.  As  we  descend  towards 
our  own  time  many  others  were  made  ;  and  in  the 
year  A.D.  1383,  the  art  of  printing  placed  the  whole 
Bible  beyond  the  reach  of  alteration  either  from  mis- 
take or  design. 

64.  The  quotations  of  the  Christian  fathers,  as  far 
as  these  quotations  extend,  afford  clear  and  positive 
testimony  to  the  uncorrupted  purity  of  the  books  of 
the  New  Testament.  Limiting  this  evidence  to  the 
verses  actually  quoted,  a  great  part  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, as  we  now  have  it,  is  proved  from  this  source 
alone.  To  notice  this  evidence  in  detail,  would  far 
exceed  the  limits  assigned  to  this  work ;  and  a  simple 
reference  to  it  is  all  that  is  here  intended. 


FAREWELL    COUNSELS— MISSIONS    TO 
EASTERN  ASIA. 

IN  the  earlier  years  of  the  Presbyterian  Missions 
it  was  a  common  usage  for  the  Executive  Committee, 
through  its  secretary,  to  give  farewell  instructions  or 
counsels  to  new  missionaries,  when  they  were  leaving 
for  their  fields  of  labour,  if  their  journey  was  to  be 
made  by  a  sea  voyage.  Dr.  Swift,  secretary,  made 
addresses  of  this  kind ;  Mr.  Lowrie,  also ;  both  re- 
peatedly. These  were  of  general  interest,  and  were 
listened  to  by  large  congregations. 

But  with  the  change  of  travelling  to  steam  naviga- 
tion, most  missionaries  preferred  to  remain  with  their 
friends  at  home  until  the  latest  hour  of  departure ; 
and  farewell  services  were  usually  conducted  by  their 
pastor  or  neighbouring  ministers.  The  elaborate  ad- 
dresses formerly  made  seemed  to  be  seldom  suited  to 
the  occasion.  In  some  cases,  however,  either  method 
answered  a  good  purpose.  It  may  be  of  interest 
to  insert  here  the  address  of  Mr.  Lowrie  at  a  public 
meeting  in  the  Brick  Church,  New  York  City,  when 
the  Rev.  John  A.  Mitchell,  of  Charleston,  S.  0.,  and 
the  Rev.  Professor  Robert  W.  Orr  and  his  wife,  of 
Cannonsburgh,  Penn.,  embarked  for  Singapore  as 
missionaries  to  the  Chinese,  December  6,  1838. 

BELOVED  BEETHKEN — It  is  a  subject  of  peculiar 
interest  to  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  General  Assembly,  that  one 


FAREWELL  COUNSELS.  83 

of  their  first  acts  is  to  deliver  instructions  to  the  first 
missionaries  to  China  sent  out  by  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  If  we  take  into  view  the  immense  number 
of  the  Chinese  people  ;  their  general  intelligence  ;  the 
progress  they  have  made  in  civilization  ;  the  remark- 
able fact,  that  not  only  the  whole  empire,  but  four 
other  adjoining  nations,  read  one  language  ;  and  also, 
that  this  entire  population  are  "without  Christ, 
aliens  from  His  Church,  and  strangers  to  the  cov- 
enants of  promise,  having  no  hope,  and  without  God 
in  the  world," — the  solemn  duty  of  the  Church  to 
send  them  the  gospel  will  appear  in  a  strong  light. 
In  discharge  of  this  duty,  little,  comparatively,  has 
been  done  by  any  branch  of  the  Church ;  and  by  our 
beloved  Zion,  until  now,  nothing  has  been  even 
attempted.  We  rejoice  that,  in  the  good  providence  of 
God,  a  mission  from  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  this 
great  but  perishing  people  is  prepared  to  embark, 
to  carry  to  them  a  knowledge  of  Redeeming  Love. 
May  we  not  indulge  the  hope  that  in  future  her  zeal 
and  resources  will,  in  a  measure,  make  up  for  our 
past  indifference,  and  that  you,  dear  brethren,  will 
be  followed  by  large  numbers,  continued  and  increas- 
ing from  year  to  year,  till  the  whole  empire  of  China, 
and  the  nations  reading  her  language,  shall  be  made 
to  rejoice  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Saviour !  This  re- 
sult is  in  the  promise  and  in  the  purpose  of  God,  and 
His  power  will  bring  it  to  pass.  Our  present  efforts, 
and  those  of  sister  churches  who  have  preceded  us, 
and  are  now  engaged  in  the  same  blessed  work,  may 
be  considered  feeble  and  unimportant ;  but  all  these 
efforts  are  in  accordance  with  the  appointed  means 
for  this  very  end,  and  are  in  obedience  to  the  com- 
mand of  our  blessed  Lord.  This  is  His  plan : — let 


84  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

His  churches  and  His  missionaries  see  to  it  that  they 
become  neither  weary  nor  discouraged  in  His  work. 
We  may  not  live  to  see  the  triumph  of  His  cause 
among  the  heathen,  for  we  have  all  neglected  our 
duty  in  this  great  work;  but  the  day  is  coming  when 
the  churches  will  come  up  to  the  requirements  of  the 
word  of  God,  and  then  they  will  see  and  rejoice  in 
the  final  triumph  of  the  cause  of  Christ ;  when  the 
hearts  of  His  people  will  be  filled  with  joy  and  glad- 
ness, to  see  the  glory  which  will  be  to  God  in  the 
highest,  in  the  general  knowledge  of  the  Redeemer's 
name. 

The  first  Protestant  missionary  to  China  was  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Morrison,  a  name  most  deservedly  dear  to 
all  the  churches.  He  was  sent  out  in  1807  by  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  and  laboured  faithfully, 
and,  for  a  great  part  of  the  time,  alone  in  preparing 
the  way  for  future  labourers,  till  his  death.  The 
labours  of  this  great  man,  in  translating  the  Bible 
into  the  Chinese  language,  have  been  duly  appre- 
ciated by  all,  and  especially  by  every  missionary  to 
China.  In  part  of  these  labours  he  was  ably  assisted 
by  Dr.  Milne,  who  joined  him  in  1813  ;  but  his  early 
death,  in  1822,  left  Dr.  Morrison  once  more  alone ;  and 
his  life  was  graciously  spared  till  these  great  works 
were  finished. 

The  London  Missionary  Societies  have  in  this  field 
at  present  six  missionaries ;  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  including  Singa- 
pore, Java,  Sumatra  and  Siam,  seventeen ;  the  Epis- 
copal Church  in  the  United  States,  three ;  the  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Board,  three;  and  the  Church  of  England 
Missionary  Society,  one.  The  whole  number  from  all 
these  is  thirty.  How  few  the  labourers  in  this  great 


FAREWELL  COUNSELS.  85 

field !  Surely  the  time  has  fully  come,  when  the 
churches  should  pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send 
forth  labourers  into  His  harvest :  and  not  pray  only, 
but  also  do  the  will  of  their  Lord,  in  sending  to  this 
perishing  people  the  blessings  they  themselves  so 
richly  enjoy. 

The  empire  of  China  extends  through  twenty-one 
degrees  of  latitude,  and  twenty-six  degrees  of  longi- 
tude. There  is  considerable  difference  in  the  es- 
timates of  the  number  of  square  miles  by  those 
writers  who  are  supposed  to  be  best  acquainted  with 
the  subject.  Taking  the  medium  of  their  estimates, 
China  proper  may  be  set  down  as  containing  a  million 
and  a  half,  and  the  whole  empire  five  millions  of 
square  miles.  Supposing  this  to  be  the  most  correct 
estimate,  it  will  be  seen  that  this  great  empire  is  more 
than  one-fourth  larger  than  all  Europe,  and  is  more 
than  five  times  the  size  of  the  twenty-six  United 
States. 

The  number  of  the  population  is  also  a  matter  of 
much  uncertainty,  though  all  writers  agree  in  stating 
it  to  be  very  large.  The  best  evidence  on  this  subject 
seems  to  be  the  enumeration  of  the  Chinese  them- 
selves. Their  census  of  1793  gave  a  population  of 
307,000,000,  and  of  1812  of  360,000,000. 

The  government  would  be  a  pure  despotism  were 
it  not  for  some  limitations  and  restrictions  imposed 
by  custom  on  the  emperor.  He  is  considered  the 
source  of  all  power  and  honour ;  is  styled  the  Son  of 
Heaven  ;  and  is  an  object  of  worship  throughout  the 
whole  empire.  Constant  efforts  are  made  by  the  gov- 
ernment to  impress  the  people  with  the  belief  that 
all  its  principles  are  strictly  patriarchal — taken  from 
the  model  of  a  family,  and  conforming  to  it  in  all 


86  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

respects.  The  emperor  is  said  to  be  the  father  of  his 
whole  people  ;  the  same  penalty  is  prescribed  for 
offences  against  each,  and  the  same  mourning  at  the 
death  of  the  emperor  that  there  is  at  that  of  the 
father  of  a  family. 

The  emperor  is  assisted  by  various  Boards  at 
Pekin,  not  unlike  our  heads  of  departments  ;  and, 
under  their  direction,  each  province  has  a  governor,  a 
judge  and  a  collector ;  and  under  these  again  are 
various  orders  of  Mandarins,  amounting  in  the  whole 
empire  to  14,000. 

The  standing  army  consists  of  80,000  men,  and 
there  are  700,000  militia,  who  receive  a  pittance  of 
pay.  The  navy,  although  numbering  many  vessels 
and  boats,  is  quite  inefficient,  and  often  unable  to 
subdue  the  pirates  on  the  coast. 

The  penal  code  of  China  contains  many  excellent 
provisions,  expressed  with  great  clearness  and  appro- 
priate brevity.  It  is  far  in  advance  of  that  of  any 
other  Eastern  nation.  Its  defect  is  a  too  great  minute- 
ness in  the  attempt  to  regulate  every  circumstance  in 
common  life.  The  great  evil  is  in  the  administration, 
affording  another  sad  evidence,  on  a  large  scale,  that 
without  the  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  the  rights  of  the 
people,  and  truth  and  righteousness,  are  unknown. 

The  character  of  the  Chinese  is  perhaps  as  favour- 
able as  that  of  any  other  civilized  people  who  are 
without  God,  and  without  a  knowledge  of  His  Word. 
Though  but  a  part  of  the  population  can  read,  the 
readers  are  in  every  part  of  the  empire,  and1  in  this 
respect,  education  is  general.  They  are  noted  for 
their  industry,  and  for  their  business  habits  ;  they 
are  remarkable  for  their  respect  for  the  aged,  and 
they  possess  a  mild  and  peaceable  disposition.  But 


FAREWELL   COUNSELS.  87 

alas !  here  we  must  stop  ;  and  describe  other  traits  of 
character  truly  painful.  They  care  nothing  for  truth, 
and  are  full  of  deceit ;  their  self-love  and  ignorance 
make  them  proud,  haughty  and  conceited,  and  all 
but  themselves  are  barbarians  ;  infanticide  of  female 
children  has  long  been  extensively  perpetrated 
among  them;  and  that  universal  mark  of  heathenism, 
the  degradation  of  woman,  prevails  throughout  the 
whole  empire.  The  female  infant  is  despised  as  soon 
as  she  is  born  ;  she  is  called  even  then  a  hated  thing; 
and  through  life  the  law,  and  all  the  maxims  and 
writings  of  their  atheistical  sages,  are  against  her. 

The  religion  of  China  is  a  strange  mixture  of 
atheism  and  idolatry.  Three  sects  exist  there — the 
followers  of  Confucius,  the  Buddhists,  and  the  Doc- 
tors of  Reason. 

Confucius  was  born  550  years  before  the  Christian 
era.  His  writings  are  preserved  with  great  care  and 
veneration  ;  in  them  are  many  excellent  maxims,  but 
the  good  is  intermixed  with  many  things  of  the  most 
evil  and  pernicious  tendency.  He  acknowledged  that 
he  knew  nothing  about  the  existence  of  the  gods,  and 
respecting  them  preserved  silence.  Con-foo-tze,  his 
most  distinguished  disciple,  affirms  that  sufficient 
knowledge  was  not  possessed  to  say  that  the  gods 
had  any  existence  ;  but  he  saw  no  difficulty  in  omit- 
ting the  subject  altogether.  This  doctrine  of  Confu- 
cius is  the  established  religion  of  the  empire,  and, 
although  its  foundation  thus  reposes  on  atheism, 
there  is  an  expensive  state  worship,  with  many  im- 
posing forms.  Sacrifices  are  offered  at  the  public 
expense  to  heaven — to  the  emperor — the  earth — sun 
—moon — sages  and  other  objects.  The  images  and 
objects  of  worship  of  the  common  people  are  without 


88  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

number  or  description ;  and  the  annual  expense  of 
their  idol  worship  is  estimated  by  Dr.  Morrison  at 
200,000,000  of  dollars. 

Buddhism  is  another  form  of  their  worship,  but 
this  sect  is  merely  tolerated.  Which  are  the  most 
numerous  in  China,  the  followers  of  Buddha  or  of  Con- 
fucius is  not  known.  But,  if  the  adjacent  countries 
be  taken  into  account,  no  form  of  heathenism  is 
so  prevalent  as  Buddhism.  At  this  day,  more  than 
half  the  human  family  are  led  captive  by  this  delu- 
sion of  Satan.  In  this  system,  atheism  is  a  leading 
feature.  The  god  they  acknowledge  and  worship  is  a 
mere  abstraction ;  he  is  said  to  exist  in  a  state  of 
eternal  repose,  caring  for  nothing,  and  without  any 
mental  exercises  whatever.  They  believe  not  in  the 
creation  of  the  world,  but  in  a  succession  of  worlds  ; 
yet  they  profess  to  believe  in  a  state  of  future  re- 
wards and  punishments ;  but  these  truths  are  so 
mixed  up  with  their  fables  of  the  metempsychosis  of 
the  soul  from  one  body  to  another  that  all  salutary 
influence  on  the  conduct  is  lost.  Not  one  ray  of  the 
true  light  shines  upon  them.  The  whole  system 
makes  the  mass  of  the  people  more  submissive  to 
their  wretched  and  abandoned  priesthood.  There  it 
begins,  and  there  it  ends. 

The  Doctors  of  Reason  constitute  the  third  sect. 
They  are  silent  as  to  the  being  of  a  God,  the  immor- 
tality of  the  soul,  or  a  state  of  future  rewards  and 
punishments.  They  are  given  to  magic  and  alchemy, 
and  spend  much  of  their  time  and  thoughts  in  pur- 
suit of  the  elixir  of  life.  They  are  also  called  Taouists. 

Among  the  great  mass  of  the  people,  these  three 
sects  are  not  very  distinctly  marked ;  and  many  of 
the  superstitions  of  each  are  attended  to  by  all.  It 


FAREWELL  COUNSELS.  89 

would  indeed  be  difficult  to  describe  the  darkness, 
confusion,  and  obscurity  of  their  practice  and  be- 
lief. 

From  this  brief  but  melancholy  survey  of  this 
great  empire  may  be  seen  how  greatly  it  needs  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God,  and  the  way  of  salvation 
through  Jesus  Christ.  The  millions  of  China  are 
perishing,  and  their  dark  and  hopeless  state  calls 
most  earnestly  on  the  churches  for  relief.  In  respond- 
ing to  this  call,  and  in  devoting  your  lives  to  their 
benefit,  it  is  proper  for  you,  dear  brethren,  as  well  as 
for  the  Board  under  whose  direction  you  go,  and  the 
churches  whose  missionaries  you  are,  to  know  the 
difficulties  which  will  meet  your  efforts  to  carry  the 
gospel  to  them.  It  is,  indeed,  but  an  abstract  of  these 
difficulties  that  can  be  presented  here  ;  and  you  will 
meet  with  others,  unknown  at  present  to  us  all. 

1.  The  stern  prejudices,  and  determined  hostility, 
manifested  of  late  by  the  Chinese  government  against 
the  introduction  of  the  gospel  into  China,  present 
an  obstacle  to  all  benevolent  efforts  in  behalf  of  this 
great  people.  These  efforts  must  at  present  be  made 
at  a  distance,  and  of  course  under  disadvantages. 
But  this  obstacle,  in  the  present  state  of  Protestant 
missions,  has  been  greatly  overrated.  The  super- 
abundant population  of  China,  overflowing  the  limits 
of  their  native  land,  and  finding  resting-places  in  the 
neighbouring  countries  and  islands,  afford  many  open- 
ing fields  for  the  churches  to  occupy,  and  where  they 
may  prepare  and  qualify  their  missionaries  to  be  in 
readiness  when  God,  in  His  providence,  removes  the 
principal  barriers.  In  the  meantime  all  the  brethren 
sent  out  will  be  on  missionary  ground,  labouring 
among  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Chinese  who  are 


90  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

now  perfectly  accessible  to  their  appropriate  labours. 
Were  every  barrier  now  removed,  few  more  facilities 
would  exist  for  learning  the  language  ;  for  providing 
and  conducting  suitable  schools  and  higher  semina- 
ries ;  for  raising  up  and  instructing  a  native  ministry ; 
for  translating  the  Scriptures  and  preparing  other 
suitable  books  ;  and,  in  general,  for  using  the  mighty 
agency  of  the  press,  than  are  now  to  be  found. 

2.  Another  discouraging  circumstance  is,  that  the 
labourers  are  so  few.    Few,  indeed,  they  are  for  so 
great  a  work !    But  let  not  this  discourage  our  efforts; 
rather  let  it  increase  them.    The  number  is  increasing 
from  year  to  year ;  the  evangelical  churches  are  be- 
coming awake  to  the  importance  of  this  great  work ; 
and,  above  all,  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  in  answer  to 
the  prayers  of  His  people,  will  send  forth  "labourers 
into  His  harvest." 

3.  Another  obstacle  is  the  advanced  position  occu- 
pied by  the  Church  of  Rome  on  the  borders  of  the 
empire,  and,  to  some  extent,  even  within  its  limits. 
The  whole  of  the  Phillipine  Islands,  as  well  as  Macao, 
is  under  her  control ;  and  to  the  importance  of  this 
subject  she  is  quite  awake,  and  in  a  great  measure 
prepared  with  able  men  and  abundant  means  to  send 
into  the  interior  her  adulterated  form  of  the  Christian 
faith.    Instead  of  discouraging  this  state  of  things 
ought  to  engage  the  true  churches  to  redoubled  efforts. 
Although  the  influence  of  this  false  religion  exists 
strongly  in  this  field,  it  exists  also  in  most  other 
fields,  and  it  must  be  met  by  the  Church  of  Christ, 
let  it  exist  where  it  may.    This  influence  is  indeed 
pernicious,  but  its  days  are  numbered,  and  it  will 
come  to  an  end  at  the  brightness  of  the  coming  of 
the  Lord. 


FAREWELL  COUNSELS.  91 

4.  When  you  come  to  teach  the  Chinese  them- 
selves, you  will  find  their  minds  preoccupied  by  the 
most  contradictory  and  the  most  confused  and  absurd 
notions  of  their  own  superstitions.     You  will  find 
atheism  and  idolatry  existing  in  the  same  mind.    If 
you  speak  to  them  of  Gfod,  they  will  point  to  the  vis- 
ible heavens  ;  for  thus  their  books  teach  them.    The 
providence  of  Grod  is  unknown  to  them ;  and  they 
will  tell  you  that  the  heavens,  earth  and  the  sages, 
are  united  in  the  government  of  the  world.     If  you 
speak  to  them  of  virtue  and  vice,  of  sin  and  holiness, 
you  will  find  their  views  most  indefinite  and  obscure. 
These  and  many  other  things  equally  painful,  and 
which  for  a  long  series  of  generations  have  become, 
as  it  were,  part  of  their  existence,  will  require  of  you 
unremitting  perseverance,  faith  and  prayer,  lest  you 
faint  and  grow  weary  in  your  work. 

5.  Their  great  veneration  for  their  sages  will  meet 
you  as  an  obstacle  at  every  step.     They  praise  Con- 
fucius in  language  similar  to  what  we  use  in  the 
praise  of  Grod,  our  Maker.    When  you  speak  to  them 
of  a  crucified  Saviour,  to  whom  their  emperors  and 
their  sages  are  required  to  be  in  subjection,  they  turn 
from  the  instruction  with  contempt  and  loathing. 
"It  is  foolishness  unto  them,"  and  so  they  literally 
call  it. 

They  are  taught  from  infancy,  and  from  age  to 
age,  to  think  themselves  superior  to  all  other  people. 
Confucius  and  his  disciples  have  in  their  writings 
strongly  inculcated  this  feeling  ;  it  has  become  with 
them  a  second  nature,  interwoven  with  all  their 
thoughts,  and  incorporated  with  their  very  language  ; 
and  the  government  has  at  all  times,  for  political 
purposes,  nourished  and  cherished  it  in  all  their 


92  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

transactions  with  foreigners,  and  in  every  state  paper 
relating  to  them. 

7.  Much  labour  will  be  required  in  fully  learning 
the  singular  and  difficult  language  of  this  people.  It 
is  true,  this  has  heretofore  been  greatly  overrated ; 
but  it  will  still  be  found  to  require  long  and  patient 
application,  to  obtain  a  perfect  knowledge  of  it.  To 
master  this  language  fully,  however,  is  an  object 
of  so  much  importance,  that  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee earnestly  call  your  attention  to  this  subject. 
What  is  even  at  this  time  most  wanted  is  a  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible  into  Chinese,  which,  while  it  faith- 
fully preserves  the  spirit  of  the  original,  will  use 
such  expressions  and  national  idioms  as  are  familiar, 
and,  as  far  as  mere  language  is  concerned,  will  be 
acceptable  to  the  people  of  China.  The  translation 
made  by  Morrison  and  Milne  has  been  found  by  suc- 
ceeding missionaries  to  be  deficient  in  the  use  of  such 
modes  of  expression  as  are  in  use  in  the  Chinese  writ- 
ings. By  some  of  the  missionaries  now  in  the  field  a 
new  translation  was  some  time  ago  commenced,  of 
which  the  New  Testament  has  been  finished  and 
printed.  Other  missionaries,  however,  while  they 
admit  that  defects  exist  in  the  former  translation, 
have  made  objections  to  this,  as  going  to  the  other 
extreme,  and  in  some  places  giving  not  a  translation, 
but  a  paraphrase  of  the  original,  by  the  use  of  the 
Chinese  idioms.  The  subject  is  one  of  acknowledged 
difficulty,  owing  to  the  peculiar  structure  of  the 
Chinese  language,  and  the  great  number  of  idioms  in 
it  peculiar  to  itself  ;  but  it  lies  at  the  foundation  of 
all  our  efforts  in  behalf  of  China ;  and  hence  the 
necessity  of  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  language. 
Let  these  considerations  stimulate  and  encourage  you 


FAREWELL   COUNSELS.  93 

in  your  efforts  to  attain  this  object.  By  these  means 
you  may  have  the  honour,  in  connection  with  mis- 
sionaries from  sister  churches,  of  producing  a  trans- 
lation that  will  be  to  China  what  our  present  trans- 
lation is  to  us. 

We  have  thus  brought  to  your  view  some  of  the 
difficulties  that  you  will  have  to  meet  in  your  field  of 
labour.  But,  in  view  of  these  and  of  all  others,  of 
whatever  kind,  we  say  to  you,  dear  brethren,  be  not 
discouraged.  To  this  great  work  you  go  not  forth 
alone.  You  know  who  it  is  that  hath  said,  "Lo,  I 
am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 
Keep  constantly  in  mind  what  God  requires  you  to  do, 
and  what  it  is  that  He  has  reserved  to  do  Himself. 
Your  duty  is  clear,  and,  in  humble  dependence  on  His 
grace,  be  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  it.  What  more 
can  you  want  than  the  promise  of  the  Saviour's  pres- 
ence ?  What  more  can  you  possibly  receive  than  His 
company  with  you  always  ?  If  we  could  add  anything 
to  this  for  your  encouragement,  we  would  remind  you 
that  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer  is  here  concerned. 
The  millions  of  China  are  promised  to  Him  ;  the  day 
is  coming  when  in  all  her  valleys  and  on  all  her 
mountains,  His  name  will  be  known  and  with  sweet- 
est sound  dwell  on  every  tongue ;  and  the  means 
which  Grod  has  appointed  to  bring  about  this  glorious 
result,  is  the  performance  of  those  duties  in  which 
you,  and  those  who  send  you  forth,  are  called  upon 
to  engage.  Nothing  can  be  more  certain  than  that 
these  efforts  are  in  obedience  to  the  Saviour's  com- 
mands ;  that  this  is  His  plan  for  the  extension  of  His 
kingdom  ;  that  He  is  with  His  servants  always,  even 
unto  the  end  ;  that  His  glory  will  be  promoted  by  the 
heathen  being  brought  into  His  fold;  and,  finally,  that 


94  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

this  is  His  work,  and  He  will  bring  it  to  pass.  Let 
these  truths  cheer  you  in  your  darkest  hours.  Your 
trials  may  be  severe,  as  you  go  in  advance  of  others, 
and  your  lives  may  be  spent  more  in  preparatory, 
than  in  direct  efforts  for  the  heathen  ;  but  even  this 
will  not  change  the  nature  of  the  work  itself,  for  this 
part  of  the  work  must  first  be  done  ;  and  what  is 
accomplished  by  you  will  prepare  the  way  for 
others. 

Until  you  shall  have  reached  your  field  of  labour, 
and  have  made  the  examinations  suggested  in  the 
letter  of  instructions  you  have  already  received,  the 
ultimate  location  of  the  mission  cannot  be  decided 
on.  At  Singapore  you  will  find  a  temporary  resting- 
place,  affording  you  many  facilities  for  learning  the 
language,  and  prosecuting  the  inquiries  with  which 
you  have  been  charged.  In  the  permanent  location 
of  the  mission,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  interfere 
with  any  existing  Protestant  Mission ;  and  that  there 
be  such  numbers  of  Chinese  in  the  vicinity  as  will 
require  not  only  your  labours,  but  also  those  of  some 
of  the  other  brethren  who  may  follow  you. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  dear  brethren,  let  us 
affectionately  exhort  you  to  take  care  of  your  own 
souls.  This  admonition  we  would  also  take  to  our- 
selves. If  the  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  found  it  nec- 
essary to  be  watchful  and  to  take  all  care,  lest,  when 
he  preached  the  gospel  to  others,  he  himself  should 
be  a  castaway,  how  much  more  is  it  necessary  for 
each  of  us,  who  are  so  far  behind  him  in  conformity 
to  the  holy  image  of  our  Lord,  to  examine  carefully 
what  spirit  we  are  of.  "Not  every  one  that  saith 
unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father 


FAREWELL  COUNSELS.  95 

which  is  in  heaven."  Without  His  love  in  our  hearts, 
though  we  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of 
angels,  we  are  but  as  sounding  brass  or  a  tinkling 
cymbal.  We  may  have  the  gift  of  prophecy,  and 
understand  mysteries  and  all  knowledge,  and  still  be 
nothing.  We  may  bestow  our  goods  on  charitable 
objects ;  we  may  endure  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  a  missionary  life,  at  home  or  abroad,  we  may  even 
give  our  bodies  to  be  burned,  but  unless  our  motives 
and  our  hearts  are  sanctified  by  the  grace  of  God  it 
will  profit  us  nothing.  "Let  us  take  heed  then, 
brethren,  lest  there  be  in  any  of  us  an  evil  heart  of 
unbelief  in  departing  from  the  living  God."  But 
whilst  it  is  our  sacred  duty  to  take  heed  to  these  sol- 
emn warnings  in  the  Word  of  God,  the  example  of 
the  same  apostle  affords  us  the  most  assured  encour- 
agement, and  in  his  experience  we  see  the  fruits  of  a 
holy  life  when  he  came  to  die.  Before  he  left  the 
earth  he  speaks  to  us  as  from  the  vestibule  of  heaven, 
"I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith :  henceforth  there  is  laid 
up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord, 
the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day  ;  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  His 
appearing." 

You  are  sent  by  the  churches  to  make  known  the 
riches  of  a  Saviour's  love  to  the  perishing  heathen. 
But,  whilst  you  point  them  to  the  "Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world,"  remember, 
beloved  brethren,  that  He  is  your  Saviour  ;  also  that 
to  Him  you  must  look  for  assistance,  whilst  engaged 
in  His  service  here  ;  and  that  on  Him  rests  your  own 
hopes  beyond  the  grave.  Let  your  reliance  on  Him 
be  simple  and  entire  ;  and  fear  not  to  trust  yourselves 


96  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

wholly  to  Him  in  life  and  in  death.  Take  Him 
with  you  in  the  ship ;  the  great  expanse  of  waters 
over  which  you  are  called  to  pass  are  His ;  and  all 
the  storms  and  dangers  of  the  mighty  deep  are  under 
His  control.  In  your  labours  among  the  heathen 
stand  near  the  cross,  and  look  to  God  in  constant, 
earnest  prayer,  for  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whose  work  it  is  to  apply  to  the  soul  the  redemption 
purchased  by  Christ.  When  all  your  labours  are 
done,  and  you  are  called  to  pass  through  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  fear  not  to  trust  the  Saviour 
then.  He  will  meet  you  in  that  hour,  and  after  death 
you  will  still  be  where  He  reigns  and  controls  all 
things;  "Seeing  then  that  we  have  a  great  High 
Priest  that  is  passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus,  the  Son 
of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our  profession.  For  we  have 
not  a  high  priest  which  cannot  be  touched  with  the 
feeling  of  our  infirmities ;  but  was  in  all  points  tempt- 
ed like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin.  Let  us  therefore 
come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  ob- 
tain mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need." 
Finally,  brethren,  farewell.  Be  perfect,  be  of  good 
comfort,  be  of  one  mind  ;  live  in  peace !  and  the  God 
of  love  and  peace  shall  be  with  you.  Amen. 


FAEEWELL  COUNSELS— MISSION  TO  AFRICA. 

THE  Rev.  Robert  W.  Sawyer  and  wife  embarked 
for  Western  Africa,  October  6,  1841.  The  usual  in- 
structions were  addressed  to  them  by  Mr.  Lowrie, 
secretary,  in  behalf  of  the  Board: 

DEAR  FRIEKDS.  The  work  of  a  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  most  momentous  in  which  a  human  being 
can  engage.  The  best  qualified  may  exclaim  with 
the  apostle,  "Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?" 
In  every  field  of  labour  Divine  assistance  is  needed  ; 
and  especially  so,  when  the  call  of  God  is  to  labour 
in  the  dark  places  of  the  earth,  far  away  from  the 
sustaining  influences  of  the  churches  of  the  living 
God,  and  the  company  and  fellowship  of  his  minis- 
ters and  people.  You,  dear  brother,  have  just  been 
ordained,  by  the  proper  judicatory  of  the  church, 
acting  in  the  Saviour's  name  and  by  his  authority. 
You  have  been  designated  also  by  the  agents  of  the 
church,  to  go  far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles,  to  speak 
unto  them  that  they  may  be  saved ;  to  call  them 
away  from  their  senseless  idolatry,  and  to  tell  them 
of  the  only  true  God,  and  of  the  love  of  Jesus,  and 
point  them  to  Him  as  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world. 

One  of  the  first  sacrifices  you  are  called  to  make  is 
to  part  from  your  friends  and  relatives,  from  father 
and  mother,  from  brothers  and  sisters,  from  those  in 
whose  company  you  have  lived  so  long,  that  their 
endeared  so'ciety  has,  in  a  manner,  become  a  part 


98  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

of  your  existence.  This  trial  is  so  severe,  so  pain- 
ful to  flesh  and  blood,  so  desolating  to  the  natural 
feelings  of  the  heart,  that  many  of  God's  professing 
people  are  unwilling  to  meet  it.  They  cannot  give 
up  a  beloved  son,  they  cannot  thus  part  for  life  with 
a  beloved  daughter.  But  the  cause  of  Christ  requires 
this  sacrifice,  severe  and  painful  as  it  is ;  and  when 
the  Saviour's  glory  is  concerned,  and  the  eternal 
interests  of  perishing  men,  these  light  afflictions 
which  are  but  for  a  moment  ought  not  to  be  even 
named. 

By  your  own  free  choice,  and  with  the  approba- 
tion and  sanction  of  the  Executive  Committee,  West- 
ern Africa  has  been  selected  as  the  field  of  your 
future  labours.  A  beloved  brother  has  just  fallen  in 
that  field,  and  you  have  been  appointed  to  supply  his 
place.  This  circumstance  throws  a  more  than  ordi- 
nary degree  of  solemnity  over  our  present  meeting. 
It  is  a  serious  thing  to  be  thus  baptised  for  the  dead. 
But  may  we  not  hope  that  in  as  much  as  your 
appointment  has  been  made,  after  much  prayer  to 
God  for  his  direction,  it  will  meet  with  his  appro- 
bation. 

Every  field  of  missionary  labour  has  obstacles  to 
the  efforts  of  the  church  and  discouragements  pecu- 
liar to  itself.  In  some  "the  man  of  sin  opposeth 
and  exalteth  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God  or 
is  worshipped ;  so  that  He  as  God  sitteth  in  the 
temple  of  God,  shewing  himself  that  He  is  God."  In 
others,  the  exterminating  spirit  of  the  false  prophet 
suspends  the  sword  over  every  one  that  turns  to  the 
light.  Others,  again,  are  prevented  by  an  ignorant 
despotism  from  hearing  the  truth  ;  and,  in  others,  is 
the  influence  of  unhealthy  climates.  This  last  is  the 


FAREWELL   COUNSELS.  99 

case  with  Western  Africa ;  and  this  obstacle  is  a 
serious  one.  Every  branch  of  the  Church  which  has 
engaged  in  missionary  labours  there,  has  found  it  so. 
In  deciding,  therefore,  on  what  is  duty,  we  are  called 
to  examine  the  subject  in  the  light  of  God's  word, 
and  of  His  providence  ;  and  above  all,  to  look  to  Him 
for  wisdom  and  direction. 

The  first  question  to  be  examined  is,  shall  this  field 
be  abandoned,  the  missionaries  now  there  with- 
drawn, and  the  benighted  inhabisants,  excluded  from 
the  efforts  of  the  Church,  be  left  to  perish  in  ignor- 
ance and  sin  ? 

Let  it  be  admitted,  that  to  plant  the  Church  in 
Africa,  will  cause  the  death  of  some  of  God's  servants. 
If  we  take  the  example  of  the  apostles  for  our  guid- 
ance, we  will  not  find  in  this  a  sufficient  reason  for 
leaving  the  millions  in  this  country  in  the  unmolested 
possession  of  Satan.  It  cost  Stephen  and  James  their 
lives  to  witness  for  the  Saviour  at  Jerusalem ;  and 
Paul  was  "ready  not  to  be  bound  only,  but  also  to 
die  at  Jerusalem  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 
In  view  of  the  bonds  and  afflictions  which  everywhere 
waited  for  him,  he  could  say,  "But  none  of  these 
things  move  me,  neither  count  I  my  life  dear  unto 
myf elf,  so  that  I  might  finish  my  course  with  joy,  and 
the  ministry  which  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
to  testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God."  It  were 
easy  to  multiply  examples  of  the  sufferings  of  the 
apostles  and  first  Christians,  in  their  labours  to  build 
up  the  church.  In  no  instance  did  the  fear  of  death 
deter  them  from  preaching  the  glorious  gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God.  They  were  influenced  by  His  Spirit,  and 
acted  in  view  of  His  high  and  holy  example.  "  Here- 
by perceive  we  the  love  of  God,  because  he  laid  down 


100  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

His  life  for  us  ;  and  we  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives 
for  the  brethren." 

There  is  a  tendency  in  some  minds  to  draw  an 
inference  against  the  missiodary  work  from  the  death 
of  a  missionary,  which  is  not  thought  of  in  the  death 
of  a  minister  among  the  churches  at  home.  But  this 
position  will  not  bear  examination.  Within  a  few 
months,  how  large  has  been  the  number  of  beloved 
brethren,  most  of  them  in  the  prime  of  life,  who  have 
been  called  home  from  their  labours ;  yet  no  one 
infers  from  these  dispensations  of  Divine  providence, 
that  it  is  not  the  duty  of  the  church  to  use  every 
means  to  supply  their  places.  Nay,  all  agree,  that 
for  this  purpose,  increased  efforts,  and  increased 
prayer  to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  together  with  a 
deeper  humility  and  repentance  for  her  unfaithful- 
ness become  the  special  duty  of  the  church  in  these 
seasons  of  rebuke  and  affliction.  These  principles 
apply  in  all  their  force  to  the  death  of  our  dear 
brethren  in  the  foreign  field  ;  and  the  church  is  not 
at  liberty  to  apply  one  rule  of  duty  in  regard  to  her 
ministers  at  home,  and  another  rule  to  her  ministers 
abroad.  The  word  of  God  makes  no  such  distinction, 
the  field  for  her  agency  is  the  world.  Although  there 
be  a  risk  to  human  life,  in  sending  to  benighted 
Africa  the  knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  his  commission, 
the  spirit  that  was  in  Him,  and  the  example  of  His 
apostles  require  it  to  be  done.  In  thus  engaging  in 
the  Lord's  work,  the  Church  is  not  making  experi- 
ments; she  is  but  obeying  the  command  of  the 
Saviour ;  and  if  she  persevere  in  carrying  out  His 
commission,  her  success  is  just  as  certain  as  that  her 
Redeemer  rose  from  the  dead.  The  redemption  of 
Ethiopia,  and  her  inbringing  to  the  fold  of  Christ  are 


FAREWELL  COUNSELS.  101 

in  the  purpose  of  God ;  and  her  very  name  is  men- 
tioned in  His  glorious  promise.  "Ethiopia  shall 
soon  stretch  out  her  hands  to  God."  Ps.  Ixvii.  31. 
Now  the  word  of  God  is  explicit,  that  His  purposes 
of  love  and  mercy,  and  all  His  promises  shall  be  ful- 
filled by  the  use  of  the  appointed  means.  By  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  all  nations  shall  be  brought 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  Saviour ;  and  Africa,  though 
long  oppressed  and  trampled  under  foot,  with  her 
benighted  and  degraded  people,  shall,  by  the  blessing 
of  God,  on  this,  His  appointed  agency,  be  brought  to 
the  light  and  liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 

As  the  constitution  of  coloured  men  can  endure  the 
climate  of  Africa  better  than  white  men,  the  question 
may  be  asked,  Why  not  commit  the  entire  work  to 
them  ?  The  answer  to  this  is,  that  we  have  not  got 
suitable  and  qualified  men  of  this  class  to  take  the 
charge  of  this  important  work.  If  it  be  left  to  them, 
the  efforts  to  bless  this  benighted  people  must  for  the 
present  be  postponed.  Hence  the  absolute  necessity 
of  educated  and  qualified  white  men. 

But  although  the  agency  of  white  men  cannot  at 
first  be  dispensed  with,  it  is  not  required  that  the 
whole  missionary  work  be  done  by  them.  On  the 
contrary,  there  is  so  much  that  from  the  first  can  be 
done  by  qualified  assistants,  that  even  with  an  equal 
number  of  them  the  force  of  the  mission  would  be 
doubled.  Hence  it  is  the  part  of  wisdom  to  employ 
the  agency  of  coloured  men,  as  far  as  their  qualifica- 
tions will  permit.  At  present,  teachers  and  assistants 
of  this  class  can  be  obtained  ;  others  of  higher  attain- 
ments, men  of  piety  and  zeal  for  this  great  work,  will 
in  time  be  prepared,  both  in  this  country  and  among 
the  natives,  to  take  the  burdeu  of  the  missionary 


102  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

work  in  Africa  on  themselves  ;  so  that  the  blessings 
of  the  gospel  will  be  carried  to  this  benighted  land 
chiefly  by  the  agency  of  her  own  children. 

The  whole  of  the  Western  coast,  from  Sierra 
Leone  to  the  Sinoe  River,  had  long  been  the  mart  of 
the  slave  trade.  First  the  British,  and  then  the 
American  colonies  arrested  its  progress  on  large  sec- 
tions of  the  coast ;  but  it  was  only  within  the  last 
year  that  the  slave  factories  at  the  Gallinos  and  New 
Cess  were  broken  up.  The  whole  country  back  of 
these  colonies  has  been  the  seat  of  this  murderous 
traffic,  which  to  a  large  extent  still  continues.  The 
part  of  the  coast  lying  between  the  Sinoe  River  and 
Cape  Palmas,  and  occupied  by  the  Kroos,  the  Grand 
Sesters,  and  the  Grebos,  has,  for  the  most  part, 
escaped  this  dreadful  scourge.  No  missionary  has 
ever  resided  among  the  Kroos,  or  the  Grand  Sesters 
on  the  coast,  or  any  of  the  tribes  behind  them.  The 
first  station  for  the  mission  must,  from  the  state  of 
the  country,  be  on  the  coast.  Every  tribe  in  that 
region  is  most  anxious  to  have  missionaries  to  reside 
among  them. 

The  Kroos  living  on  the  coast  claim  to  be  first 
supplied  before  they  will  permit  a  station  among 
their  neighbors  more  inland,  who  are  equally  de- 
sirious  of  missionaries  with  themselves.  In  a  short 
time  we  hope  to  have  another  station,  on  the  high- 
lands in  the  Waw  country,  leaving  the  station  on  the 
coast  in  the  charge  of  the  coloured  members  of  the 
mission.  This  point  gained,  we  have  good  reason  to 
believe  that  the  health  of  our  brethren  will  not  suffer 
materially  from  the  climate  in  the  interior ;  and  that 
we  may  then  look  forward  to  the  permanent  continu- 
ance of  the  mission  without  more  than  ordinary  risk 


FAREWELL  COUNSELS.  103 

to  the  health  and  life  of  the  brethren  sent  from 
among  ourselves. 

By  our  last  accounts  from  Africa,  the  mission 
family  now  there  had  passed  safely  through  the  first 
attack  of  fever,  which  is  always  the  most  dangerous, 
and  which,  in  this  instance,  proved  fatal  to  one  of  the 
brethren.  The  vessel  that  takes  you  out,  carries  also 
a  house  prepared  to  be  set  up,  and  large  enough  to 
accommodate  two  families.  The  vessel  will  touch  at 
Cape  Palmas,  and  it  is  arranged,  that  Mr.  Canfield 
will  proceed  to  the  Kroo  country,  taking  assistants 
with  him  to  set  up  the  house  when  the  materials  are 
landed.  A  boat  will  also  be  sent  with  you  sufficiently 
large  to  run  between  the  station  and  either  of  the 
colonies.  It  will  most  likely  be  best  for  you  to  re- 
main at  Cape  Palmas  until  the  building  at  Settra 
Kroo  is  ready  to  receive  you,  or  even  longer,  if  that 
be  deemed  best  by  yourself  and  the  brethren  there. 

Whilst  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church,  and  of  all  her 
judicatories  and  her  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  as 
well  as  of  all  her  missionaries,  while  labouring  for 
the  spread  of  the  gospel,  to  mature  the  best  plans  for 
carrying  forward  the  work,  it  is  equally  the  duty  of 
all  to  contemplate  with  awe  and  reverence,  and  with 
deep  humility,  the  Divine  sovereignty,  and  to  ac- 
knowledge in  all  things  the  overruling  providence  of 
God.  Without  His  approval  every  plan  and  counsel, 
however  wise  to  human  view,  will  be  turned  to  fool- 
ishness and  disappointment.  It  becomes  us,  then, 
to  look  to  the  word  of  God  for  direction,  and  to  fol- 
low the  example  of  His  servants  as  therein  recorded 
for  our  instruction.  It  is  worthy  of  our  imitation 
how  frequently  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  though 
commissioned  by  the  Saviour  himself,  and  living  for 


104  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

His  glory,  and  labouring  more  abundantly  than  all 
others,  refers,  in  all  his  plans  and  purposes,  to  the 
will  of  the  Lord.  "I  must  by  all  means  keep  this 
feast  that  cometh  in  Jerusalem ;  but  I  will  return 
again  to  you,  if  God  will."  Acts  xviii.  21.  "Making 
request,  if  by  any  means  now  at  length  I  might  have 
a  prosperous  journey,  by  the  will  of  God  to  come 
unto  you."  Rom.  i.  10.  "That  I  may  come  unto 
you  with  joy,  by  the  will  of  God,  and  may  with  you 
be  refreshed."  Rom.  xv.  32.  "But  I  will  come  to 
you  shortly,  if  the  Lord  will."  1  Cor.  iv.  19.  "For 
I  will  not  see  you  now  by  the  way ;  but  I  trust  to 
tarry  a  while  with  you,  if  the  Lord  permit."  I.  Cor. 
xvi.  7.  "And  this  will  we  do,  if  God  permit." 
Heb.  vi.  3. 

Such  also  was  the  practice  of  the  prophets.  "And 
the  king  said  unto  Zadoc,  carry  back  the  ark  of  God 
into  the  city  ;  if  I  shall  find  favour  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord,  He  will  bring  me  again  and  shew  me  both  it  and 
its  habitation.  But  if  He  thus  say,  I  have  no  delight 
in  thee ;  behold,  here  am  I,  let  Him  do  to  me  as  seem- 
eth  good  to  him."  2  Sam.  xv.  25-26. 

"Then  I  proclaimed  a  fast  there  at  the  river 
Ahava,  that  we  might  afflict  ourselves  before  our  God, 
to  seek  of  Him  a  right  way  for  us,  and  for  our  little 
ones ;  and  for  all  our  substance.  For  I  was  ashamed 
to  require  of  the  king  a  band  of  soldiers  and  horse- 
men to  help  us  against  the  enemy  in  the  way  ;  because 
we  had  spoken  unto  the  king,  saying,  The  hand  of 
our  God  is  upon  all  them  for  good  that  seek  Him  ; 
but  His  power  and  His  wrath  is  against  all  them  that 
forsake  Him.  So  we  fasted  and  besought  our  God 
for  this ;  and  He  was  entreated  of  us."  Ezra  viii. 
21-23. 


FAREWELL   COUNSELS.  105 

"  Who  is  he  that  saith  and  it  cometh  to  pass  when 
the  the  Lord  commandeth  it  not."  Lam.  iii.  37. 

"And  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  reputed 
as  nothing,  and  He  doeth  according  to  His  will  in  the 
army  of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  ;  and  none  can  stay  His  hand  or  say  unto  Him, 
What  doest  Thou  ? "  Dan.  iv.  35.  In  everything  we 
do,  therefore,  in  the  Saviour's  service,  it  becomes  us 
to  act  under  the  influence  of  these  solemn  truths,  and 
in  all  our  proposed  measures,  follow  the  example  of 
the  prophets  and  apostles,  saying,  If  tlie  Lord  will. 

In  contemplating  your  field  of  labour,  whilst  we 
would  not  disguise  from  you,  nor  from  ourselves,  that 
it  is  of  more  than  ordinary  peril  to  life  and  health, 
still  it  is  not  required  that  you  go  there  with  the 
spirit  of  a  martyr  ;  but  with  the  spirit  of  a  missionary 
of  the  cross,  whose  wish  and  desire  is  to  labour  in 
the  Saviour's  cause,  as  long  as  the  Saviour  sees  good 
to  prolong  your  life  and  health.  If  there  be  danger 
in  this  field,  there  is  also  great  need  of  labourers. 
Generation  after  generation  of  immortal  beings  are 
there  living  and  dying  under  the  cruel  dominion  of 
Satan.  There  is  a  people  for  whom  every  thing 
remains  to  be  done,  a  people  who  have  had  a  double 
portion  of  the  wormwood  and  the  gall. 

Let  us  pause  a  moment  to  consider  and  weep  over 
the  complications  of  evil  and  oppression  which  trample 
this  people  in  the  dust.  First,  the  blasting  influence 
of  the  slave  trade,  extending  over  a  great  part  of  the 
western  coast,  breaking  up  every  bond  of  society, 
arraying  the  different  communities  against  each  other, 
and  making  it  the  interest  of  every  man  to  quarrel 
with  his  neighbour,  that  he  may  betray  and  sell  him 
to  the  man-stealer  and  the  pirate.  Next  the  despot- 


106  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

ism  and  oppression  of  their  rulers,  by  which  almost 
the  whole  community  are  reduced  to  slavery,  and 
subjected  to  the  caprice,  avarice  and  cruelty  of  those 
who  ought  to  protect  and  cherish  them.  Then  comes 
their  miserable  and  unprincipled  priesthood,  their 
fetish  men,  their  witch-finders,  their  devil-men,  their 
rain-makers,  with  all  their  train  of  debasing  and  cruel 
forms  of  worship,  and  low  unmeaning  idolatry.  We 
turn  to  the  darker  shades  of  the  picture,  and  there 
we  find  poor,  degraded  woman.  No  plague  spot  so 
deep  as  this.  Here  is  half  the  community,  the  moth- 
ers of  the  rising  generation,  brutalized,  and  doomed 
to  the  most  abject  depression,  where  all  are  depressed 
and  wretched.  But  the  darkest  shade  still  remains 
to  be  considered,  and  that  is  the  closing  scene.  To 
them  no  ray  of  light  breaks  across  the  thick  darkness 
that  rests  upon  the  grave.  Death  is  to  them  a  most 
dreaded  and  most  dreadful  enemy,  and  from  his  ap- 
proach they  shrink  with  terror  and  despair  to  the 
last.  Nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at,  for  he  comes  to 
them  in  unknown  terrors.  The  love  of  a  dying  Sav- 
iour has  never  reached  their  ears ;  the  message  of 
mercy,  of  pardon  for  sin,  of  peace  with  God,  has 
never  been  sent  to  them.  They  have  lived  in  the 
region  and  shadow  of  death,  and  they  die  surrounded 
with  terror  and  remorse,  with  every  prospect  shrouded 
in  the  darkness  of  the  tomb.  O,  how  much  this  peo- 
ple need  the  knowledge  of  that  remedy  which  has 
the  promise  of  this  life  and  that  which  is  to  come. 
How  emphatically  to  them  would  the  message  of  the 
gospel  be  good- tidings  of  great  joy  ! 

And  now,  dear  brother  and  sister,  the  providence 
of  God  has  opened  the  way  for  you  to  engage  in  the 
great  work  which  brought  the  Saviour  to  our  world. 


FAREWELL  COUNSELS.  107 

No  privations  or  sufferings  of  His  followers  can  equal 
His  while  fulfilling  His  Divine  mission.  The  trials 
you  may  be  called  to  endure,  cannot  be  compared 
with  His  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  when  His 
sweat  was  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling  down 
to  the  ground.  Should  you  even  be  called  to  an  early 
death,  it  will  not  compare  with  His  on  the  cross,  and 
His  contest  there  with  the  powers  of  darkness.  You 
may  indeed  be  called  "  to  fill  up  that  which  is  behind 
of  the  afflictions  of  Christ,  in  your  flesh  for  His  body's 
sake,  which  is  the  Church ; "  but  even  then,  you  have 
His  blessed  promise,  that  "he  will  never  leave  you 
nor  forsake  you."  You  will  find  it  profitable,  and  so 
will  all  His  followers,  to  review  and  meditate  upon 
the  terms  of  discipleship,  as  laid  down  by  our  Lord 
Himself.  ' '  The  disciple  is  not  above  his  master,  nor 
the  servant  above  his  lord.  It  is  enough  for  the  dis- 
ciple to  be  as  his  master,  and  the  servant  to  be  as  his 
lord.  He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it ;  and  he 
that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it.  He  that 
loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy 
of  me  ;  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than 
me  is  not  worthy  of  me.  He  that  taketh  not  up  his 
cross  and  f olloweth  not  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me. 
If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself, 
and  take  up  his  cross  daily  and  follow  me." 

Just  as  you  live  under  the  influence  of  these  re- 
quirements, will  you  find  the  sustaining  presence  of  the 
Saviour.  Should  it  be  the  will  of  Gfod  that  your  con- 
stitution can  bear  the  climate  to  which  you  go,  there 
never  was  a  brighter  prospect  of  usefulness  than  is 
now  before  you.  Dark  and  waste  and  dreary  as  are 
the  moral  desolations  of  the  people  to  whom  you  are 
sent,  there  is  not,  perhaps,  anywhere  a  more  interest- 


108  MEMOIRS  OF   WALTER  LOWRIE. 

ing  field  of  missionary  labour ;  and  as  far  as  the  in- 
habitants are  concerned,  one  that  is  more  encourag- 
ing. They  are  found  to  be  of  a  teachable  disposition, 
and  many  of  them  affectionate  and  confiding ;  and 
when  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  consist- 
ent and  orderly  professors  of  the  name  of  Christ. 
Among  the  tribes  on  the  coast,  and  those  immediately 
inland,  there  is  a  great  field  of  labour  and  much  work 
to  be  done ;  but  our  Master's  vineyard  lies  also  be- 
yond all  these,  stretching  far  into  the  interior,  and 
indeed  embracing  every  tribe  and  people,  whether 
wandering  in  the  deserts,  dwelling  in  cities,  or  soli- 
tary places,  in  the  bosom  of  the  forests,  or  on  the 
banks  of  the  lakes  and  rivers.  All  these  are  included 
in  the  command  of  the  Saviour  to  the  Church,  and  all 
these  are  included  in  his  purposes  of  love  and  mercy. 
The  way  is  fully  open  to  commence  the  missionary 
work  among  them  ;  and  the  progress  of  the  truth 
from  tribe  to  tribe,  will  still  further  and  further  pre- 
pare the  way  of  the  Lord,  till  the  good  news  shall 
reach  the  most  remote  and  obscure  corner  of  the  land. 

Go  forward,  then,  dear  friends,  without  despond- 
ency. Present  duty  is  our  concern,  and  results  be- 
long to  God.  Live  near  the  blessed  Saviour.  "Let 
your  loins  be  girded  about,  and  your  lights  burning ; 
and  ye  yourselves  like  unto  men  that  wait  for 
their  Lord."  In  the  prayers  of  God's  people  we 
trust  you  will  not  be  forgotten ;  and  whilst  in  the 
name  of  the  Church  we  bid  you  God  speed,  whilst  we 
say  farewell,  we  would  with  adoring  reverence  com- 
mend you  to  the  care  and  keeping  of  the  living  God  ; 
and  may  his  grace,  mercy  and  peace  be  with  you ! 
Amen. 


THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

THE  MISSIONARY  SECBETARYSHIP. 

PRIOR  to  Mr.  Lowrie's  official  connection  with  the 
cause  of  missions,  his  attention  had  been  called  to  this 
subject,  not  only  by  his  own  study  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures and  his  acquaintance  with  missionary  informa- 
tion in  general,  but  by  what  may  be  called  special 
orderings  of  Providence.  One  of  these  was  that  one 
of  his  brothers-in-law  had  been  led  to  go  as  a  lay 
missionary  to  an  Indian  tribe,  but  there  soon  lost  his 
health  and  returned  to  his  friends.  For  the  sake  of 
medical  aid  he  came  to  the  town  of  Butler,  and  soon 
after  died  in  his  brother-in-law's  house.  The  second 
was  his  practical  knowledge  of  African  questions,  in 
our  country  and  in  Africa,  acquired  in  Washington. 
He  became  acquainted  also  with  missionaries  to  west- 
ern Africa — Messrs.  Pinney,  Cloud,  and  Laird,  the 
first  missionaries  to  Liberia — a  noble  company.  The 
third,  beginning  in  1830-31,  when  his  eldest  son  con- 
sulted his  father  and  mother,  as  to  the  great  question 
to  him,  whether  he  ought  to  go  as  a  missionary  ? 

The  brief  remarks  made  at  the  farewell  meeting  in 
Philadelphia,  1833,  and  later  matters,  probably  di- 
rected the  attention  of  many  persons  in  the  churches 
to  Mr.  Lowrie  as  a  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  of  the  Synod  of 


110  _MEXOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

Pittsburg,  in  1835,  to  succeed  the  first  secretary,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  E.  P.  Swift,  in  the  event  of  his  resignation. 
This  appointment  was  afterwards  made,  but  he  felt 
constrained  to  decline  it.  A  year  later,  in  August, 
1836,  when  this  appointment  was  urgently  renewed,  it 
appeared  to  be  his  duty  to  accept  it — with  the  under- 
standing that  he  should  enter  upon  its  duties  when 
his  official  engagements  in  Washington  could  be 
closed. 

In  a  secular  point  of  view  this  change  would  hardly 
be  considered  an  enviable  one.  The  office  in  Washing- 
ton was  then  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  desirable  in 
the  federal  city, — in  its  sufficient  salary,  its  personal 
associations,  and  its  not  being  subject  to  political 
changes.  A  few  years  later  it  was  understood,  in  a 
limited  circle,  that  the  office  of  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury of  the  United  States  was  at  his  option.  If  so,  it 
must  have  been  on  full  acquaintance,  as  the  President 
had  known  him  for  several  years.  They  had  been  in 
the  senate  together,  and.  a  part  of  the  time  also  mem- 
bers of  the  Standing  Committee  of  Finance.  But  the 
decision  had  been  made.  And  over  thirty  years  of 
longer  life  confirmed  the  conviction  that  the  mission- 
ary secretaryship  had  been  appointed  from  on  high. 
Its  opportunities  of  serving  our  Saviour  in  the  promo- 
tion of  His  cause  were  rightly  appreciated. 

This  office  was  accepted,  however,  at  a  time  of 
great  perplexity.  Serious  controversies  existed  be- 
tween the  old  and  the  new  school  parts  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  tending  to  the  separation,  which 
afterwards  occurred.  The  cause  of  foreign  missions 
was  not  much  affected  at  first  by  these  dissensions  ; 
but  for  a  time  it  was  feared  that  great  evils  would  re- 
sult from  extreme  measures.  Mr.  Lowrie  was  in 


.  THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  HI 

sympathy  with  the  views  commonly  taken  of  con- 
troverted questions  in  western  Pennsylvania,  where 
but  little  mere  party  feeling  existed  on  church  ques- 
tions ;  but  where  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  was  awakening  much  interest  in  the  cause  of 
foreign  missions,  in  which  he  felt  the  deepest  concern. 
The  scriptural  principle,  that  the  work  of  missions  at 
home  and  abroad  appertains  to  the  organized  church, 
and  not  chiefly  nor  incidentally  to  voluntary  societies, 
was  recognized  by  the  first  general  assembly,  in  1789, 
and  by  synods  and  presbyteries  long  before  that  time. 
This  principle  was  not  held  by  all  in  later  days  ;  but 
it  is  now  recognized  by  the  reunited  church,  and  it 
is  remarkably  verified  in  the  great  enlargement  of  its 
foreign  missions. 

In  the  choice  of  the  Secretary  of  Foreign  Missions, 
the  Synodical  Society  was  greatly  favored  by  Divine 
Providence  as  to  its  first  incumbent,  the  Rev.  E.  P. 
Swift,  D.  D.  ;*  and  also  in  its  second  appointment, 
the  Hon.  Walter  Lowrie,  succeeding  Dr.  Swift. 
Of  the  General  Assembly's  Board,  he  became  the 
first  secretary.  In  both  cases  it  was  of  great  moment 
that  the  right  men  should  be  appointed,  possessing 
eminent  ability,  earnest  consecration,  large  expe- 
rience, and  the  full  confidence  of  the  Church.  Such  a 
minister  was  Dr.  Swift ;  such  an  elder  was  Mr.  Lowrie. 
The  former,  by  his  eminent  gifts  and  grace,  was  earn- 
estly sought  again  for  the  pulpit,  after  the  new 
society  had  been  well  begun.  The  latter,  by  his 
varied  gifts  in  business  lines,  by  a  deep  religious 
experience,  and  by  his  standing  in  the  churches,  was 
evidently  called  to  the  great  work  of  his  life,  lasting 


*  See  Dr.  Ashbel  Green's  History,  pp.  106-110. 


112  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

until  old  age,  after  thirty  years  of  missionary  service. 
How  different  would  have  been  their  record  if  they  had 
been  different  men — men  of  younger  years,  for  exam- 
ple, of  less  judgment,  of  less  sterling  common  sense,  of 
less  industry,  and  especially  of  less  devoted  piety. 

YEAES   OF   SPECIAL   INTEREST. 

The  years  1835-1837  were  years  of  special  interest 
in  the  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
The  Western  Foreign  Missionary  Society  had  con- 
sented to  its  being  transferred  to  the  General  Assembly 
in  1835.  The  refusal  of  the  General  Assembly,  by  a 
close  vote,  to  accept  this  transfer  in  1836,  led  the 
society  to  resume  its  charge  of  the  missions,  after 
serious  inconvenience.  But  these  painful  events  were 
overruled  by  Divine  Providence  and  by  the  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  as  to  promote  a  deeper  interest 
in  the  cause  of  missions,  in  conducting  its  organized 
work  as  a  Church. 

Accordingly  the  General  Assembly  of  1837  was  led 
to  organize  its  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  By  this 
Board  the  missions  of  the  Society  were  cordially 
accepted,  including  its  valuable  property  free  from  any 
encumbrance, — with  its  income,  and  all  its  interests. 
All  were  accepted  in  the  same  year  by  the  Board,  with 
due  legal  forms.  The  missionaries  thus  transferred 
to  the  Board  had  been  sent  to  certain  Indian  tribes, 
Western  Africa,  North  India,  and  partly  commenced 
in  Siam  and  China.  A  goodly  number  of  missionaries 
had  been  sent  forth.  Among  them  five  devoted 
labourers — three  ministers  and  two  married  ladies — 
had  been  called  to  their  rest  in  heaven. 

The  income  of  the  Society  had  increased  each  year, 


THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  113 

from  $5,331.60,  May  1st,  1833,  to  $33,560.26,  May  1st, 
1838.  Its  bequests  in  the  same  period  from  $100.00  to 
81,034.88.  The  balance  then  on  hand  and  made  over 
to  the  Board,  beginning  its  income,  was  $3,107.  It 
is  remarkable  that  the  receipts  of  the  Society's  last 
year,  so  far  as  ascertained,  exceeded  the  amount  given 
to  foreign  missions  in  the  same  year  by  all  other 
agencies,  old  and  new,  of  the  Presbyterian  body. 
The  time  had  come  for  testing  more  fully  the  principle 
and  the  plan  of  Church  work  in  missions. 

OFFICES  OF  THE  BOAED  EEMOVED  TO  NEW  YORK. 

The  practical  work  of  changing  the  headquarters 
of  the  missions  was  facilitated  by  a  recent  measure  of 
the  W.  F.  M.  Society  of  Pittsburgh — its  organizing 
certain  "Boards  of  Agency"  in  leading  cities — Balti- 
more, Louisville,  Indianapolis,  Cincinnati,  Phila- 
delphia, and  New  York.  The  Board  of  Agency  in 
New  York  was  effectively  organized,  and  would  prob- 
ably have  become  the  General  Board  of  the  Old  School 
part  of  the  Church,  if  difficulties  had  continued  in 
the  General  Assembly.  The  Agency  Boards  answered 
good  purposes,  in  promoting  interest  in  the  cause  of 
missions,  but  were  discontinued  when  the  G.  A. 
Board  was  organized  by  the  Assembly,  and  transferred 
to  an  eastern  city.  In  New  York  the  Agency  Board 
held  its  session  in  the  Chapel  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  Wall  street,  in  the  Brick  Church,  or  in 
Cedar  street  and  Duane  street  Lecture  Kooms — from 
time  to  time.  Eminent  ministers  and  elders  were 
appointed  on  these  agencies. 

When  the  Board  of  the  General  Assembly  was 
removed  to  New  York,  its  first  meeting  was  held  in 


114  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

the  Wall  street  chapel.  It  rented  for  its  office  the 
one-half  of  a  somewhat  large  room  in  the  Brick  Church 
chapel,  fronting  on  the  City  Hall  Park.  The  other  half 
being  occupied  by  the  N.  Y.  Colonization  Society. 
This  half  room  was  entirely  inadequate.  A  third 
story  of  No.  247  Broadway,  opposite  the  park,  was 
then  rented;  but  in  the  absence  of  "elevators"  was 
found  to  be  inconvenient,  particulurly  as  to  freight 
for  shipment  to  the  missions.  Rooms  in  City  Hall 
Place,  near  the  park,  were  then  obtained;  but  lacked 
both  space  and  light  for  the  growing  work  of  the 
Board.  Most  grateful  to  all,  occupants  and  visitors, 
was  the  Mission  House,  23  Centre  street,  still  near  the 
park.  This  good  building  was  erected  in  1842,  at  a 
cost  of  nearly  $22,000 — contributed  chiefly  by  friends 
in  New  York,  but  also  in  many  parts  of  the  country. 
It  sold  some  years  afterwards  for  $75,000.  Its  site  had 
become  unsuitable.  It  had  the  great  merits  of  being 
"down  town,"  near  the  Post  Office,  Custom  House, 
shipping  and  other  business  houses,  and  easily  ac- 
cessible from  near  and  far. 

In  this  location  the  Board  followed  the  example 
of  some  of  the  leading  Missionary  Boards  in  London, 
which  are  near  the  Bank  of  England.  When  New 
York  includes  Brooklyn  and  other  municipalities,  and 
becomes  the  "Greater  New  York,"  the  question  may 
arise  whether  the  Board  should  not  remove  its  offices 
again  to  the  vicinity  of  the  City  Hall  Park.  And  then 
it  may  be  wise  to  occupy  exclusively,  as  formerly,  a 
smaller  building. 

Looking  forward  still  further,  to  a  re-united  Church, 
and  to  a  still  growing  West,  including  the  Pacific 
States,  it  may  become  expedient  to  organize  two  or 
three  Foreign  Mission  Boards,  with  proper  reference 
to  the  existing  Providential  circumstances,  and  to 


THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  H5 

due  economy  in  expense,  as  well  as  to  the  efficient 
conduct  of  the  Missions. 

VISIT  TO   SOUTHERN  CHURCHES. 

In  the  early  circumstances  of  the  Board,  it  was 
considered  expedient  for  the  secretary  to  spend  several 
winter  months  of  1842  on  a  visit  to  churches  in  the 
Southern  States.  He  was  everywhere  received  with  a 
cordial  welcome,  and  with  good  results  to  the  mission- 
ary cause.  One  case  of  special  interest  occurred 
about  this  period,  which  made  him  temporarily  a  slave- 
holder. A  liberal  gentleman  in  New  Orleans  had 
decided  to  give  all  his  slaves  their  liberty.  They 
were  about  a  hundred  in  number.  There  were  legal 
difficulties  to  be  overcome.  Besides,  this  gentleman 
felt  the  importance  of  their  being  prepared  for  liberty 
and  self-support.  He  was  already  taking  steps  in  this 
direction,  having  selected  two  of  the  young  men  to  be 
educated  at  his  charge,  one  as  a  teacher,  the  other  as  a 
doctor,  at  some  college  in  the  North,  if  this  were 
practicable.  His  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Lowrie,  when 
he  was  in  New  Orleans,  and  the  knowledge  of  his 
public  life  in  Washington,  led  to  his  conferring  with 
him  on  the  subject  which  he  had  so  much  at  heart. 
It  was  settled  that  the  two  young  men  should  be  sent 
to  him  without  change  in  their  legal  condition,  and 
then]  he  should  obtain  for  them  the  kindly  charge  of 
their  education  at  some  good  college,  after  his  giving 
them  their  freedom,  being  furnished  with  suitable 
credentials  for  this  purpose.  These  measures  were 
accomplished.  The  slaves  received  their  freedom ; 
the  young  men  their  education ;  unhappily  not  as 
complete  as  was  hoped  for,  owing  to  their  lack  of 
energy. 


116  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWEIE. 

On  this  southern  journey,  in  a  severe  winter,  owing 
to  unavoidable  exposure  in  those  days,  not  a  little 
danger  to  health  was  incurred.  On  a  part  of  the  way 
he  had  been  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Lowrie,  his  second 
wife,  Miss  Mary  K.  Childs,  with  whom  he  had  become 
acquainted  in  Washington.  She  now  made  an  ex- 
tended visit  to  her  married  brother's  family,  Mr. 
Otis  Childs,  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  living  in  Georgia. 
She  earnestly  sympathized  with  her  husband  in  his 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  missions ;  and  greatly  en- 
deared herself  to  his  family,  as  well  as  to  the  numer- 
ous missionaries  who  for  many  years  accepted  their 
hospitality. 

MISSION  FUNDS   FAITHFULLY   APPLIED. 

In  the  Annual  Report  of  1842,  page  26,  a  clear  and 
valuable  statement  is  made  to  show  how  the  Board 
secures  complete  responsibility  in  the  expenditure  of 
all  moneys  entrusted  by  the  churches  to  its  charge. 
After  stating  on  pages  24  and  25  the  various  objects 
in  the  work  of  missions  for  which  pecuniary  means 
are  indispensable,  the  Report  proceeds  : 

"Here  it  may  not  be  improper  to  notice  an  aspect 
of  the  Foreign  Missionary  cause  connected  with  the 
foregoing  remarks.  What  assurance,  it  may  be 
asked,  have  those  who  make  these  contributions  that 
they  will  be  faithfully  applied  ?  What  responsibility 
exists  for  the  proper  disbursement  of  large  sums,  in 
places  so  distant,  and  by  so  many  individuals  ?  These 
questions  are  pertinent  and  important,  and  ought  to 
be  distinctly  and  fully  answered.  This  will  best  be 
accomplished  by  a  simple  exposition  of  the  course 
now  employed. 

"All  donations  by  churches,   societies,   and  in- 


THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  117 

dividuals,  are  charged  to  the  Treasurer  on  the  books 
of  the  office,  and  published  in  the  Missionary  Chron- 
icle ;  and  no  money  is  paid  but  on  appropriations 
made  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

"The  expenses  at  home  are  kept  under  distinct 
heads,  and  published  in  the  report  of  the  Treasurer 
at  the  end  of  the  year. 

"  For  the  missions  abroad  detailed  estimates,  made 
out  carefully  by  the  missionaries,  in  view  of  their 
wants  and  circumstances,  are  sent  home  in  advance, 
which  are  approved  or  modified  by  the  Committee, 
according  to  the  prospect  of  receipts  for  the  coming 
year.  By  these  estimates  the  wants  and  prospects  of 
all  the  missions  are  brought  before  them  ;  and  it  is  an 
important  part  of  their  duty  to  dispose  of  them  to  the 
best  advantage.  It  ought  to  be  here  noted,  that  every 
mission,  and  every  proposed  enlargement,  pass  every 
year  under  the  supervision  and  control  of  the  Board 
and  the  General  Assembly,  thus  leaving  to  the  Com- 
mittee but  the  details  of  the  work.  When  the  esti- 
mates are  returned,  the  missionaries  know  the  amount 
they  may  expect  to  receive  during  the  year,  unless 
the  receipts  enable  the  Committee  to  forward 
additional  sums,  where  they  are  wanted. 

"  Every  remittance  made  is  charged  to  the  Treas- 
urer of  each  mission  respectively,  on  the  books  of  the 
office  ;  and  a  detailed  statement  of  the  expenditures, 
at  stated  periods,  properly  examined  and  certified  by 
the  whole  mission,  is  sent  to  the  office.  It  is  then 
examined  by  the  Committee,  and  entered  on  the 
books  of  the  Treasurer.  If  any  item  requires  expla- 
nation, which  rarely  occurs,  it  is  immediately  asked 
for. 

"  By  this  procedure  the  whole  amount  received  is 


118  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

accounted  for.  The  whole  expenditure,  with  all  its 
details,  is  recorded,  and  an  inspection  of  the  books 
will  show,  how  every  dollar  and  every  cent  has  been 
expended,  by  whom,  and  for  what  purpose.  No 
department  of  the  civil  government  has  a  system  of 
more  exact  accountability ;  no  mercantile  house  has 
more  certainty  and  clearness  in  its  receipts  and  pay- 
ments. It  is  true,  that  to  effect  these  results,  care 
and  labour  are  required ;  but  the  example  set  by  Ezra 
and  his  companions  teaches  us,  that  the  most  exact 
account  should  be  kept  of  the  funds  of  the  Church. 
Ezra,  viii.  24-34." 

EXTEACTS   FROM   ANNUAL  REPORTS. 

The  Annual  Reports  of  a  Missionary  Board  are 
important  documents.  They  may  be  regarded  as 
missionary  "state  papers."  They  may  well  be 
referred  to  in  these  memoirs,  especially  when  they 
relate  to  the  early  years  of  the  Society  or  Board. 

The  first  four  of  these  Reports  were  written,  all 
but  the  last,  and  it  chiefly,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Elisha  P. 
Swift,  Secretary  of  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary 
Society,  and  bear  ample  witness  to  his  ability  and 
admirable  Christian  character.  These  Reports  are 
for  the  years  1833-36.  The  Report  of  1836  from  May 
1st,  and  the  Report  of  1837,  of  the  W.  F.  M.  Society, 
the  fifth  of  its  series,  were  written  by  Mr.  Lowrie,  as 
well  as  the  subsequent  Annual  Reports  for  many 
years  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  For  particulars  of  the  first  five 
reports  see  Dr.  Ashbel  Green's  Presbyterian  Missions. 

In  the  First  Report  of  the  Board  to  the  General 
Assembly,  1838,  Mr.  Lowrie  wrote:  "It  is  for  the 


TEE  WOEK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  H9 

judicatories  of  the  Church  to  take  the  oversight  of 
this  great  interest.  The  brethren  among  the  heathen 
can  be  formed  into  Presbyteries  under  the  direction 
of  the  proper  Synods ;  and  when  the  number  of 
Presbyteries  make  it  expedient,  the  General 
Assembly  can  form  them  into  one  or  more  Synods  in 
connection  with  itself. 

"  Other  branches  of  missionary  labour  will  consist 
in  translating  and  printing  the  Bible,  and  religious 
tracts  and  publications  ;  and  when  practicable  taking 
the  oversight  of  common  education,  and  in  all  cases 
giving  it  encouragement.  These  duties  may  vary  in 
their  relative  importance  according  to  the  circum- 
stances of  the  different  missions,  and  the  calls  and 
openings  of  Divine  Providence ;  and  the  extent  to 
which  they  may  do  so  must  be  left  to  the  judgment 
and  discretion  of  the  missionaries,  under  the  general 
direction  and  advice  of  the  Board." — Report  0/1836. 

RESPONSIBILITY   OF   THE   BOARD. 

"If  there  were  but  a  single  church,  or  a  few  churches 
near  each  other,  engaged  in  sending  one  or  more  mis- 
sionaries, nothing  more  would  be  needed  than  their 
thus  engaging  in  the  work.  But  if  the  churches  will- 
ing to  be  thus  engaged  are  numerous,  then  an  inter- 
mediate agency  is  found  most  convenient  to  transact 
the  business  between  these  united  churches  and  the 
missionaries,  and  to  be  the  principal  medium  of  com- 
munication between  both.  This  medium  of  communi- 
cation is  found  in  the  Missionary  Society  [or  the 
Board].  But  it  is  of  vital  importance  to  bear  in 
mind,  that  the  members  of  the  Missionary  Board  are 
not  the  principals  in  this  matter;  they  are  themselves 


120  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

but  the  agents  of  the  churches,  appointed  by  them, 
responsible  to  them ;  and  should  they  neglect  their 
duty,  may  be,  and  ought  to  be,  displaced  and  others 
appointed  in  their  stead.  The  missionaries  sent  out 
are  not  their  missionaries,  but  belong  to  the  churches 
sending  them  and  supporting  them  with  their  funds, 
and  sustaining  their  hands  by  their  prayers.  This 
control  over  the  Missionary  Society,  or  Board,  by  the 
churches,  can  be  efficiently  exercised,  where  the 
organization  of  the  Society  is  ecclesiastical.  If  an 
evil  exists  in  the  management  of  the  institution,  the 
remedy  is  easy.  The  Church,  through  the  General 
Assembly,  can  remove  the  whole  Board,  and  commit 
the  trust  to  the  hands  of  others." — Annual  Report, 
1837. 

MISSIONARIES — MESSENGERS. 

"Every  foreign  missionary  is  a  messenger  sent  by  a 
church,  or  by  churches,  to  carry  to  the  heathen,  or  un- 
evangelized,  the  gospel  of  the  risen  Saviour.  This 
simple  proposition  involves  some  very  important  and 
peculiar  relations  between  the  missionary  abroad  and 
the  Church  at  home  ;  and  on  these  relations  some  of 
the  most  important  and  vital  principles,  in  conduct- 
ing the  missionary  operations,  will  be  found  to  depend. 

"On  the  part  of  the  missionary,  this  relation  re- 
quires that  he  give  himself  entirely  to  the  work ;  that 
he  receive  instructions  from  the  Church,  in  reference 
to  his  field  of  labour,  and  his  duties  in  that  field ; 
that  he  is  to  keep  the  Church  advised  of  his  progress, 
of  his  encouragements,  and  of  his  discouragements ; 
that  he  is  to  use  with  all  economy  and  discretion  the 
funds  put  into  his  hands ;  and  further  that  he  is  to 
preach  the  same  gospel  to  the  heathen  which  the 


THE   WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  121 

Church  at  home  receives.  On  the  part  of  the  Church, 
this  relation  requires  that  they  furnish  their  messen- 
ger with  a  comfortable  support ;  that  they  see  to  it 
that  he  be  sound  in  the  faith,  lest  instead  of  truth  he 
disseminate  error  among  the  heathen.  Above  all  it  is 
the  duty  of  the  Church,  'with  one  accord,'  to  bear 
their  messenger  daily  before  a  throne  of  grace,  that 
having  performed  the  part  of  the  human  agency,  they 
may  look  for  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Ghost  sent 
down  from  heaven,  to  rest  upon  the  labours  of  their 
missionary." — Annual  Report,  1836. 

PEEACHING  THE   GOSPEL  BY   NATIVE  CONVEETS. 

"The  first  instruction  to  be  given  to  all  mission- 
aries is  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  To  the 
Jew  this  may  be  a  stumbling-block,  and  to  the  Greek 
foolishness,  but  to  them  which  are  called,  both  Jews 
and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom 
of  God.  Let  no  Missionary  Society  place  any  other 
agency  above  that  of  the  living  preacher,  lest  they  be 
found  wise  above  what  is  written. 

"Next  to  the  direct  preaching  of  the  gospel,  the 
attention  of  the  missionaries  must  be  strongly  called 
to  the  importance  of  rightly  using  all  proper  human 
means  for  raising  up  a  qualified  native  ministry.  On 
this  part  of  the  subject  it  is  believed  that  a  serious 
mistake  has  existed,  even  in  the  minds  of  most  de- 
voted friends  of  foreign  missions.  The  agency  of  a 
native  ministry  has  been  overlooked,  and  the  most 
pressing  calls  have  been  made  on  the  churches  to 
supply  pastors,  and  provide  for  their  support,  for  the 
whole  heathen  world.  But  in  the  experience  of  every 
Missionary  Society,  no  truth  is  more  clearly  indicated 


122  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

than  that  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  must  be 
effected  principally  by  ministers  from  the  heathen 
themselves.  An  experienced  missionary  writing  from 
Africa  says,  'You  may  as  well  attempt  to  supply 
the  people  with  bread  from  England  and  the  United 
States,  as  to  supply  them  with  all  the  ministers  they 
want.'  Another  writing  from  India  says,  'Did  a 
native  missionary  possess  the  same  knowledge  and 
the  same  grace  as  a  European,  he  would  be  worth  ten 
Europeans.  In  knowledge  of  the  language,  in  access 
to  the  natives,  in  capacity  for  enduring  the  heat  of 
the  climate,  in  the  expense  of  his  education  and  sup- 
port, and  in  the  probability  of  the  continuance  of  his 
life,  there  is  no  comparison.'  This  view  of  the  sub- 
ject is  abundantly  sustained  by  many  others  most 
experienced  in  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  in 
person  to  the  heathen.  Such  also  we  find  was  the 
practice  of  the  first  missionaries,  when  they  went  out 
from  Jerusalem  to  make  known  the  Gospel  to  all  the 
world.  In  following  their  example  in  this  and  in  all 
other  matters,  no  Missionary  Society  need  fear  any 
mistake." — Annual  Report,  1837. 

MISSIONARIES  IN  CHINA. 

The  first  missionaries  to  the  Chinese,  Rev.  Messrs. 
Mitchell  and  Orr,  and  Mrs.  Orr,  were  not  permitted 
to  continue  in  their  chosen  work,  by  reason  of  death 
in  one  case  and  illness  in  the  other.  They  surely 
gained  a  blessed  reward  of  their  sacred  purpose.  The 
faith  of  the  Missionary  Board's  Executive  Committee 
and  its  secretary  did  not  fail,  nor  the  interest  of  the 
churches  in  the  projected  mission.  Moreover,  quite 
a  number  of  excellent  young  ministers  were  led  by 


THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  123 

the  Holy  Spirit  to  offer  their  services  for  this  still  un- 
occupied field  of  labour.  Prior  to,  and  in,  1844,  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  Walter  M.  Lowrie,  M.  Simpson  Culbert- 
son,  Thomas  L.  McBryde,  John  Lloyd,  Hugh  A.  Brown, 
Andrew  P.  Happer,  Augustus  W.  Loomis,  Richard 
Q.  Way,  and  two  medical  missionaries,  James  C. 
Hepburn,  M.D.  and  D.  Bethune  McCartee,  M.D. ;  five 
of  them  were  married.  Ordained  missionaries  were 
also  sent  to  China  in  later  years,  until  this  country  is 
now  the  largest  mission-field  of  our  Church,  as  it  is 
also  in  population.  Among  the  missionaries  have 
been  some  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  Presbyterian 
ministry,  as  also  is  the  case  in  other  missions.  All 
the  ordained  missionaries  of  the  Board  are  appointed 
after  the  special  recommendation  of  their  respective 
Presbyteries.  One  of  the  men  who  may  be  specially 
mentioned  was  the  Rev.  M.  Simpson  Culbertson, 
D.D.  His  acknowledged  standing  at  the  U.  S.  Mili- 
tary Academy  would  have  led  to  his  eventually  tak- 
ing rank  as  one  of  the  chief  generals  of  our  armies, 
some  years  later,  if  he  had  remained  at  home  ;  but  in 
answer,  as  we  may  believe,  to  his  widowed  mother's 
prayers,  he  was  led  to  go  from  the  U.  S.  Army  in 
1841  to  Princeton,  and  thence  in  1844  to  Ningpo  and 
Shanghai.  His  death,  after  eighteen  years  of  mission- 
ary life,  in  the  forty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  was  a 
great  loss  to  the  mission  ;  but  he  never  regretted  his 
consecration  to  this  service. 

Of  the  early  missionaries  to  China,  the  Rev. 
Walter  M.  Lowrie,  the  third  son  of  the  secretary, 
may  also  here  receive  special  mention.  He  went  to 
China  in  1842,  in  the  twenty-third  year  of  his  age, 
after  having  received  the  usual  collegiate  and  theo- 
logical seminary  education  and  ordination  by  the 


124  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIK. 

Second  Presbytery  of  New  York.  Of  first  honours, 
and  valedictorian  at  college,  he  was  yet  so  unas- 
suming, so  attached  to  his  family  and  to  his  friends, 
and  so  full  of  life  and  energy,  as  to  be  a  great 
favourite  among  them  all.  By  direction  of  the  Board, 
on  his  arrival  at  Macao,  he  embarked  for  Singapore, 
to  aid  in  transferring  the  work  there  to  China.  On 
this  voyage  the  ship  was  wrecked  on  a  submerged 
rock,  and,  though  a  fine  vessel  with  an  able  captain, 
he  and  the  crew,  with  a  few  passengers,  barely  made 
their  escape  in  two  small  boats.  They  found  them- 
selves four  hundred  miles  from  land,  and  poorly  sup- 
plied with  water  and  provisions.  Almost  incredible 
danger  and  suffering  were  encountered  before  they 
reached  Manila — all  saved  but  four  men  out  of  twenty- 
nine.  The  narrative  of  this  shipwreck  in  his  memoir 
is  one  of  intense  interest.  Few  that  meet  such  dan- 
gers live  to  report  them. 

On  arriving  again  at  Macao,  Mr.  W.  M.  Lowrie 
continued  his  study  of  the  Chinese  language  ;  aided 
the  printer  in  his  work  for  the  printing-press  and  its 
metallic  type ;  visited  Hong  Kong,  Amoy,  Chusan, 
Shanghai,  and  Ningpo,  and  settled  in  the  last  city 
as  his  station,  after  correspondence  with  the  Board 
and  conference  with  the  missionaries.  He  could  now 
preach  with  little  aid  from  an  interpreter.  His  pro- 
ficiency in  the  study  of  the  language  led  his  brethren 
to  appoint  him  as  their  delegate  to  a  conference  at 
Shanghai  of  the  leading  missionaries  in  China,  for  the 
revision  of  a  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into 
Chinese  ;  and  he  was  able  to  take  a  modest,  but  appre- 
ciated, part  in  this  work. 

After  spending  a  couple  of  months  at  the  conven- 
tion, he  was  requested  by  his  collegues  at  Ningpo  to 


THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  125 

return  to  that  station  on  a  short  visit  for  some  special 
service. 

DEATH   OF  REV.    W.    M.    LOWEIE. 

On  this  journey  he  met  with  his  death,  under  the 
most  distressing  circumstances.  Accompanied  by  his 
faithful  Ningpo  servant,  and  another  Ningpo  man  in 
the  employment  of  the  Ningpo  Mission,  they  took  the 
inland  journey,  which  required  the  crossing  of  Chapoo 
Bay  in  a  small  native  craft.  A  Chinese  piratical 
barque  soon  bore  down  on  this  small  boat  for  purposes 
of  plunder.  At  first  they  did  not  molest  the  foreigner, 
whom  they  found  on  board  ;  but,  probably  fearing 
that  his  presence  might  endanger  their  own  safety, 
after  a  little  consultation  among  themselves,  they 
threw  him  overboard,  and  kept  him  from  returning 
by  their  spears.  His  bible,  which  he  was  reading 
while  they  were  plundering  the  boat,  he  threw  on 
deck  as  he  was  forced  over,  and  it  was  secured  by  his 
servant.  It  is  still  in  service  by  a  member  of  his 
family.  Other  incidents  were  reported  by  his  Chinese 
servant.  Evidently  his  mind  was  kept  in  peace  until 
the  end  came.  That  end  was  surely  a  blessed  one, 
after  sorrowful  and  great  tribulation. 

NOTICES   OF  HIS   MEMOIES. 

It  was  on  Monday  morning,  December  17,  1847, 
that  the  sad  news  reached  the  Mission  House,  New 
York,  just  as  the  members  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee were  assembling  for  their  regular  weekly  meet- 
ing. After  the  meeting  was  constituted,  the  Com- 
mittee agreed  to  transact  no  business,  excepting  to 
have  the  letters  from  China  read,  and  then  to  spend 


126  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

some  time  in  prayer.    The  members  then  adjourned 
in  deep  sorrow  and  sympathy. 

A  memoir  was  prepared  by  his  father,  which  passed 
through  several  editions.  Some  sixty  pages  of  the 
volume  were  omitted  in  the  later  editions,  perhaps  to 
lessen  the  cost,  consisting  of  "Letters  from  Mission- 
aries and  Others. ' '  Their  omission  is  a  cause  of  regret. 
Seldom  is  a  collection  of  letters  of  sympathy  and 
mourning,  so  sorrowful  and  yet  comforting,  from  so 
many  missionaries,  and  from  friends  in  England  and 
our  own  country,  found  in  a  single  volume.  Particu- 
lar reference  may  be  made  to  the  "Remarks"  on  this 
sad  event  by  the  venerable  Archibald  Alexander, 
D.D.,  to  the  letter  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  W.  J.  Boone,  D.D., 
of  the  American  Episcopal  Mission,  of  Shanghai,  to 
many  letters  from  other  friends,  and  to  the  able 
review  of  Mr.  W.  M.  Lowrie's  life  by  the  Rev. 
Richard  W.  Dickinson,  D.D.,  in  the  Missionary  Me- 
morial, of  1852. 

It  may  be  added  here,  that  Walter's  younger 
brother,  Reuben,  after  completing  his  college  and 
seminary  course  of  study  for  the  ministry,  went  as  a 
missionary  to  China,  and  was  stationed  at  Shanghai. 
He  went  out  to  assist  his  brother  as  he  had  expected, 
but  now  to  take  his  place  ;  but  he  was  early  called  to 
rejoin  him  in  the  Saviour's  presence.  He  was  per- 
mitted to  live  at  Shanghai  from  1854  to  1860,  and  then 
departed  this  life,  greatly  lamented  by  the  mission- 
aries of  all  the  churches  in  Shanghai.  He  had  de- 
clined medical  advice  as  to  returning  to  this  coun- 
try on  a  visit  f  orchis  health,  saying  that  he  would  not 
return  "until  he  had  looked  Death  in  the  face." 
Alas,  it  was  then  too  late.  His  wife  returned  to  this 
country  for  the  education  of  their  children,  and  then 


THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  127 

went  back  to  China,  at  her  own  charges.  She  was 
accompanied  by  her  surviving  son,  the  Rev.  J.  Walter 
Lowrie,  and  her  daughter,  afterwards  married  to  a 
medical  missionary  from  New  York,  also  in  work  at 
his  own  charge. 

SIAM  AND  LAOS. 

The  missions  to  the  Siamese  and  the  Laos  received 
earnest  consideration  from  the  Board,  at  the  time 
when  its  work  for  China  was  undertaken,  at  Singa- 
pore. Mr.  Orr  made  a  visit  from  Singapore  to  Bang- 
kok, to  make  inquiries  on  this  subject,  influenced 
partly  by  the  number  of  Chinese  then  living  in  Siam. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buell  afterwards  were  sent  to  Bangkok, 
but  the  ill-health  of  Mrs.  Buell  compelled  their  return 
to  their  home  in  this  country.  Others  were  sent  to 
the  Siamese,  whose  king  was  unwilling  to  have  them 
stay.  His  death,  and  the  accession  to  the  throne  of 
a  liberal  and  friendly  ruler  changed  greatly  the  pros- 
pects of  the  Mission.  Two  of  their  members,  Rev. 
Messrs.  McGilvary  and  J.  Wilson,  some  time  later, 
went  to  the  Laos  country.  Of  late  years  their  ranks 
have  been  largely  increased.  The  number  of  the  mis- 
sionaries should  be  still  further  enlarged.  Their 
work  has  been  attended  with  remarkable  encourage- 
ment. Notices  of  the  Laos  mission,  however,  belong 
chiefly  to  a  later  period.  In  the  Siamese  field  proper, 
valuable  labourers — Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mattoon,  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  McDonald,  Dr.  House  and  Mrs.  House, 
and  others,  have  occupied  this  field  ;  but  not  with 
equal  encouragement  as  among  the  Laos.  For 
particulars,  reference  may  be  made  to  the  paper  on 
Siam,  by  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Dripps,  D.D.,  in  the  His- 


128  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

torical  Sketches,  pp.  207-232.  Its  account  of  Bud- 
dhism— the  religion  of  many  in  Siam — is  one  of  the 
ablest  on  the  subject.  Dr.  N.  A.  McDonald's  "Siam, 
its  Government,  Manners,  and  Customs,"  is  one  of 
the  best  brief  books  of  reference.  It  is  noteworthy 
that  in  both  these  countries  the  missionaries  are  all 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

EVANGELISTIC   WORK  FOR   THE   JEWS. 

An  interesting  part  of  Mr.  Lowrie's  official  duties 
related  to  a  mission  to  the  Jews.  It  had  been  referred 
to  early  and  repeatedly  in  the  proceedings  of  our 
ecclesiastical  courts,  as  a  work  requiring  almost 
special  attention  by  the  Church.  To  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  the  ancient  people  of  God  was  the  first  work  of 
our  Saviour  and  His  disciples  ;  but  even  in  those  days 
the  followers  of  our  Lord  were  early  taught  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature — to  the  Jews  certainly 
and  also  to  the  Gentiles — the  world  over.  The  Board 
and  its  executive  officers  so  understood  this  duty. 
There  were  then  some  thousands  of  Jews  in  this  coun- 
try, widely  scattered  in  many  cities,  increasing  in 
number,  but  difficult  of  access.  Missionaries  to  them 
needed  special  linguistic  gifts,  and  special  measures 
of  faith  and  patience.  Some  station  in  Europe  or 
Western  Asia  was  supposed  to  give  access  to  the 
greatest  number  of  this  unsettled  people.  To  find 
the  right  man  for  this  work,  and  to  obtain  the  funds 
required  for  his  support,  were  causes  of  delay ;  but 
special  pecuniary  gifts  were  offered,  and  a  young 
graduate  of  the  Alleghany  Theological  Seminary,  a 
native  of  Ohio,  was  obtained  for  this  service  in  1846, 
— the  Rev.  Matthew  R.  Miller. 


THE   WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  129 

Before  leaving  this  country,  it  was  concluded  that 
a  year  spent  in  New  York,  living  in  some  German 
family,  and,  if  practicable,  a  Jewish  family,  and  per- 
fecting his  acquaintance  with  Rabbinical  Hebrew  and 
his  knowledge  of  the  Talmud,  under  the  instruction 
of  a  Jewish  rabbi,  would  be  expedient.  This  led  to 
a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  the  home  field  for  this 
mission,  and  the  decision  to  make  New  York  its 
headquarters.  Two  years  later,  the  Rev.  John  Nean- 
der,  formerly  a  Jewish  rabbi  in  Germany,  was 
appointed  a  missionary  of  the  Board,  the  funds  for 
his  support  having  been  offered  by  a  generous  donor. 
Mr.  Neander's  testimonials  were  considered  ample  by 
the  Presbytery,  and  as  an  acceptable  preacher  in  Gfer- 
man,  the  Board  consented  to  his  collecting  a  small 
German  congregation,  not  omitting  his  visits  to  Jews, 
and  thereby  increasing  his  usefulness.  This  led  to 
his  work  becoming  to  some  extent  parochial  in  the 
home  field,  successful,  but  hardly  in  the  Board's 
sphere.  To  the  end  of  his  life  he  was  revered  as  a 
devoted  and  useful  minister  of  the  gospel.  Mr.  Miller 
resigned  his  appointment  in  1852,  on  account  of  im- 
paired health,  to  the  Board's  sincere  regret.  He  was 
a  minister  of  marked  ability  and  devotedness.  Three 
more  brethren  of  Jewish  race  were  appointed  on 
recommendation  of  Presbyteries — one  in  Baltimore, 
one  in  Philadelphia,  and  one  in  New  York.  They 
did  not  continue  many  years  in  this  service.  The 
work  for  the  Jews  has  not  been  continued  by  the 
Board  since  1876.  Perhaps  it  should  be.  Not  a  few 
of  the  ministers  and  members  of  our  Church  feel  a 
special  interest  in  their  evangelization ;  and,  as  a 
people,  the  Jews  are  still  a  race  of  foreigners. 


130  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

"MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS  IN  PAPAL  EUROPE." 

In  1845,  the  Board  entered  on  missionary  work  in 
Europe.  Its  importance  and  its  proposed  methods 
were  stated  by  Mr.  Lowrie  in  the  annual  report  for 
that  year.  Previously  there  had  been  considerable 
discussion  in  the  Church  on  the  general  subject  of 
missions  to  the  Roman  Catholics,  whether  at  home  or 
abroad.  The  proposal  to  organize  a  separate  Board 
for  this  work  had  been  extensively  advocated ;  and 
to  a  less  extent,  the  plan  of  a  Bureau  with  its  separ- 
ate secretary,  in  connection  with  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  was  also  advocated,  but  not  endorsed 
by  the  General  Assembly.  Neither  was  the  proposal 
of  a  separate  Board  endorsed,  while  yet  it  was  felt  by 
many  influential  members  of  the  Church,  that  action 
of  some  kind  was  called  for.  The  Foreign  Board 
shared  this  feeling  in  general ;  and  with  reference  to 
further  measures  for  making  the  Gospel  known  to 
Roman  Catholics,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  was 
led  to  appoint  one  of  its  ablest  and  best  known 
ministers  as  a  resident  missionary  in  France.  This 
appointment  was  held  in  reserve  by  him  until  his 
return  from  a  visit  to  Europe  which  he  was  soon  to 
make  ;  and  then  it  was  declined  by  him.  Soon  after- 
wards several  lay  members  of  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee spent  some  time  without  concert  on  visits  to 
Europe,  particularly  on  the  Continent,  and  they  were 
led  to  study  this  subject  with  care. 

When  this  question  came  before  the  Executive 
Committee  again,  all  the  members  were  in  favor  of 
missionary  work  on  the  Continent,  but  on  certain 
lines,  to  wit :  not  of  sending  missionaries  from  this 
country,  but  of  sending  pecuniary  aid  to  native 


THE  WORK  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  131 

brethren  connected  with  local  missionary  organiza- 
tions in  Paris  and  Geneva,  and  afterwards  also  in 
Brussels  and  by  the  Waldensian  Synod  for  Italy. 

The  General  Assembly  cordially  approved  of  this 
method  of  evangelistic  work  for  Roman  Catholics  as 
well  adapted  to  the  state  of  the  case  in  Europe,  and 
also  as  indirectly  favourable  to  such  work  on  our  con- 
tinent. On  this  basis,  our  connection  with  our  Euro- 
pean brethren  was  maintained  from  1845  until  1891. 
It  was  then  suspended,  under  some  misapprehensions, 
it  must  have  been,  as  to  another  method  in  its  stead. 
In  the  preceding  nearly  fifty  years,  the  Board  had 
sent  over  $200,000  to  the  aid  of  "Missions  in  Papal 
Europe."  The  journals  and  letters  received,  though 
sometimes  discouraging,  were  often  of  great  interest. 

The  Protestant  Churches  in  the  United  States  can- 
not look  on  the  efforts  of  the  Romanist  Church  to 
secure  again  its  ascendency  in  such  countries  as 
France,  Belgium,  Italy,  etc.,  without  deep  sympathy 
with  our  few  Protestant  brethren  in  those  countries. 
Already  this  conflict  extends  to  our  own  country. 
The  Papal  control  of  the  destinies  of  the  United 
States  is  earnestly  sought  for.  Of  $706,455  con- 
tributed for  all  Romanist  missions,  more  than  half 
of  this  sum  contributed  by  France,  $207,215  was  sent 
to  the  United  States,  a  larger  outlay  than  for  any 
other  quarter  of  the  globe,  .  .  .  But  this  hostile 
action  is  specially  directed  against  Protestant  mis- 
sionary enterprises.  .  .  .  Referring  to  this  con- 
flict, the  Board's  report  of  1845  says  : 

"  On  the  other  hand,  a  standard  has  been  lifted  up 
against  the  enemy.  Two  efficient  societies  have  been 
organized,  one  in  Paris,  the  other  in  Geneva.  (A 
Christian  missionary  church  was  afterwards  organ- 


132  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

ized  in  Brussels,  and  the  venerable  Waldensian 
Synod  was  enabled  to  enter  on  vigorous  evangelistic 
work  for  Italy.)  To  take  the  direction  of  these 
societies,  God  has  raised  up  able  and  faithful  men, 
known  to  the  churches  in  Europe  and  in  our  country, 
and  possessing  in  a  high  degree  the  confidence  of  all. 
The  presence  of  the  Spirit  of  God  is  further  evidenced 
by  His  blessed  influence  on  many  hearts.  The  pres- 
ent state  of  the  Church  in  France  is  most  remarkable. 
At  this  time  the  Romish  clergy  are  losing  power,  the 
people  are  leaving  them,  not  by  individuals  merely, 
but  by  hundreds  ;  entire  villages  have  ceased  from 
attending  mass,  and  call  for  the  preaching  of  the 
Word."  .  .  .  The  report  adds  :  "In  view  of  this 
deeply  interesting  field  of  labour,  the  Committee  is 
thankful  to  report  that  during  the  last  summer  a 
correspondence  has  been  opened  with  the  Evangelical 
Society  of  Geneva,  in  the  first  instance  through  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Merle  d'Aubigne,  and  with  the  Evangelical 
Society  of  France,  through  Rev.  Messrs.  F.  Monod 
and  J.  J.  Audebaz,  respected  pastors  of  churches  in 
Paris.  The  plan  by  which  the  Presbyterian  Church 
can  render  effective  aid  in  France  and  other  Papal 
countries  is  very  simple.  The  excellent  directors  of 
these  societies  will  take  charge  of  any  funds  remitted 
to  their  care,  and  apply  them  agreeably  to  the  wishes 
of  the  donors.  Thus  the  missionary  labourers  will  be 
chosen  and  directed  by  those  whose  local  position 
and  experience  enable  them  best  to  perform  that 
responsible  duty,  and  whose  well-known  Christian 
character  affords  the  best  guarantee  for  its  faithful 
fulfillment.  By  this  arrangement,  the  embarrassment, 
the  greater  expense  and  the  less  efficiency  of  labour- 
ers from  a  foreign  country  will  all  be  avoided.  The 


THE  WORE  OF  FOREIGN  1118810X3.  133 

sum  of  $100  to  $120  will  support  a  female  or  male 
teacher  ;  $200,  a  colporteur  for  a  year,  or  $80  for  five 
months ;  $250,  an  evangelist ;  and  $350  or  $400,  a 
minister.  Funds  can  also  be  transmitted  for  the  pur- 
chase of  libraries  of  religious  books  for  village  con- 
gregations, and  for  the  support  of  young  men  who 
are  preparing  for  the  work  of  the  holy  ministry." 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES. 

THE  missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  the 
American  Indians  date  in  1741,  and  among  the  earliest 
missionaries  were  David  Brainerd  and  his  brother 
John  Brainerd.  Other  missionaries  entered  on  the 
same  good  work;  see  Dr.  Ashbel  Green's  "Presby- 
terian Missions."  Of  the  Indian  Missions  conducted 
since  1832  by  the  W.  F.  M.  Society,  and  by  the  Board 
of  F.  M.,  the  Chickasaw,  Seminole,  Creek,  Choctaw, 
Wea,  Iowa,  Sac,  Fox,  Kickapoo,  Otoe,  Omaha, 
Winnebago,  Dakota,  Chippewa,  Ottowa,  Seneca,  Tus- 
carora,  Alleghany,  Nez  Perce,  Navajo  and  Pueblo 
tribes.  In  some  of  these  tribes,  the  Seneca,  Tusca- 
rora,  Alleghany,  Dakota,  Nez  Perce,  Choctaw,  mis- 
sions had  been  previously  conducted  by  the  American 
Board,  but  most  of  them  had  become  Presbyterian. 
Some  tribes  had  been  taught  by  Synods  prior  to  1832. 

It  is  stated  by  Professor  Garritt,  that  in  forty- 
eight  years  our  Foreign  Board^  supported  453  mission- 
aries of  all  classes  among  the  above-mentioned  tribes, 
at  an  expense  of  $525,600  by  our  churches,  and  of 
$520,000  entrusted  to  the  Board  by  the  Government 
for  educational  work.  Over  3,000  persons  were 
received  during  that  time  as  communicants,  exclusive 
of  nearly  2, 000  more  transferred  by  the  American  Board 
with  its  Seneca,  Dakota,  Cherokee  and  other  missions. 
At  least  6,000  children  were  taught  in  the  schools  by 
the  missionaries.  Over  thirty  ministers,  licentiates 
and  other  native  labourers  were  in  the  service  of  the 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  135 

Board.  The  clerical  missionaries  usually  acquired 
a  knowledge  of  the  language  of  the  tribes  respectively. 
This  knowledge  being  as  needful  to  them  as  the  lan- 
guages of  Africa  or  Siam  to  missionaries  in  those 
countries.  Not  a  few  of  the  lady  teachers  also  be- 
came proficient  in  this  knowledge.  A  historical 
sketch  of  these  Indian  missions,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  J. 
B.  G-arritt,  published  by  the  W.  F.  M.  Society,  1334 
Chestnut  street,  Philadelphia,  is  valuable  for  refer- 
ence. 

It  is  not  needful  to  state  how  these  divinely  blessed 
missions  ceased  to  be  connected  with  the  Foreign 
Board.  Mr.  Lowrie  felt  a  deep  sympathy  for  the 
Indian  tribes,  partly  from  his  knowledge  of  them  ac- 
quired in  the  Capitol;  and  his  acquaintance  with 
farming,  school-teaching,  etc.,  qualified  him  for 
special  usefulness  in  his  visits  to  the  Indian  settle- 
ments. As  secretary  he  made  visits,  in  different 
years,  to  eleven  tribes — of  which  two  were  east  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  the  others  lived  in  territories 
southwest  and  northwest  of  the  Mississippi  and 
Missouri.  These  journeys,  west  of  these  rivers,  were 
mostly  made  on  horseback,  extending  many  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  and  sometimes  subjecting  him  to 
severe  fatigue,  exposure,  and  even  peril — in  several 
cases  when  he  was  from  sixty  to  over  seventy  years 
of  age.  But  he  felt  it  to  be  a  real  privilege  to  meet 
the  missionaries  in  their  homes,  and  to  address  the 
Indians  through  an  interpreter  in  their  councils  or  at 
the  stations.  It  need  hardly  be  added  that  these 
visits  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the  missionaries, 
and  by  some  of  the  Indians,  by  their  few  churches, 
and  by  some  of  the  chiefs. 

From  his  journal  of  a  visit  in  1852  to  the  Choctaw, 


136  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

Chickasaw,  Seminole  and  Creek  Missions,  in  the 
Indian  Territory,  requiring  absence  from  the  Mission 
House  from  April  12th  to  June  26th,  and  travelling 
in  the  Indian  country,  mostly  on  horseback,  some 
600  miles,  a  few  extracts  are  here  inserted ;  see  H. 
and  F.  Record,  of  September,  1852,  pages  272-280. 

Several  days  were  spent  at  Spencer,  the  Choctaw 
station ;  for  the  Chickasaws,  Wapanucka  was  the 
next  station ;  then  Oak  Ridge,  Seminole ;  and  then 
Tallahassee  and  Kowetah,  Creek.  At  all,  the  usual 
conferences  and  religious  services  occupied  the  time. 
The  heavy  storms  of  rain  and  swollen  rivers  and 
creeks  made  the  travelling  very  severe. 

Friday,  May  21,  1852. — Although  the  sky  was 
overcast,  being  anxious  to  be  on  my  way,  concluded 
to  set  out.  Mr.  Allen  went  with  me,  intending  to 
return  when  he  saw  me  across  the  Canadian  branch 
of  the  Arkansas,  35  miles  distant.  We  left  at 
7£  A.  M.,  the  horses  in  fine  spirits,  and  the  ride  over 
the  prairies  for  some  hours  was  delightful.  At  10  A. 
M.  we  reached  the  Boggy  river,  but  the  stream  was 
so  deep  and  rapid,  and  the  banks  on  both  sides  so 
steep,  it  was  impossible  to  cross,  even  by  swimming 
the  horses.  We  then  concluded  to  ride  some  distance 
up  the  river,  in  hopes  of  getting  a  better  fording. 
But  the  river  was  so  crooked  that  when  we  were  four 
or  five  miles  up,  it  was  a  great  distance  from  the 
prairie  on  which  we  rode.  It  was  now  11  A.  M.,  and 
a  heavy  thunder-gust,  with  rain  and  wind  came  upon 
us.  We  had  just  time  to  put  on  our  Indian  blankets, 
when  the  rain  fell  in  torrents.  I  never  saw  till  now 
such  large  drops  of  rain,  and  so  close  together.  As 
we  rode  on  we  came  to  a  large  branch  of  the  Boggy, 
which  took  our  horses  to  the  belly.  We  had  some 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  137 

misgivings  about  being  able  to  re-cross  this  stream, 
in  case  we  had  to  return,  but  hoping  soon  to  reach 
the  main  river,  we  went  on.  We  found,  as  we  ad- 
vanced, that  we  had  got  but  the  wing  of  the  storm. 
The  little  streams  were  full  of  water,  and  every  path 
in  the  prairie  overflowed.  The  ground  was  so  wet, 
the  horses  sunk  often  to  the  pastern  joint.  The 
Indians  whose  cabins  we  passed  could  not  speak 
English,  so  we  could  not  learn  how  far  we  were  from 
the  river.  At  noon  ;we  came  to  a  small  stream,  not 
more  than  twenty  feet  wide,  but  so  full  of  water,  and 
so  rapid,  we  could  not  cross  over  it.  We  then  turned 
back,  and  after  letting  our  horses  graze  for  half  an 
hour,  we  passed  on  homewards,  as  fast  as  the  wet 
ground,  and  our  now  tired  horses  would  permit.  Be- 
fore we  reached  the  first  branch,  we  came  to  the  cabin 
of  Mr.  Wilson,  a  friendly  Indian,  known  to  Mr.  Allen, 
and  who  spoke  English.  He  told  us  he  had  just  come 
up  from  the  branch,  that  we  could  not  cross  it,  for  it  was 
full  from  bank  to  bank.  He  would  go  with  us,  how- 
ever, and  he  thought,  by  going  round,  we  could  cross 
it  where  it  forked  into  three  branches.  He  led  us  a 
wide  and  weary  circuit ;  stayed  with  us  till  we  crossed 
two  of  the  forks,  and  then  pointed  out  the  course 
that  would  bring  us  to  a  path,  adding — you  cannot 
lose  the  road.  We  did  lose  it,  however,  or  rather  we 
never  found  it,  and  we  soon  came  to  the  bottom  land 
of  the  third  fork,  where  we  were  entangled  with 
grape-vines,  green  briars,  and  sharp  spines  of  the 
Red  River  burdock.  We  made  various  attempts  to 
cross,  but  in  every  instance  found  the  water  so  deep 
the  horses  would  have  to  swim.  Another  gust  was 
coming  up,  and  cross  we  must,  or  remain  in  that  wet 
and  gloomy  bottom  all  night.  Mr.  Allen's  horse  be- 


138  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

ing  larger  than  mine,  got  over  partly  by  walking  and 
partly  by  swimming.  He  carried  my  saddle-bags, 
which,  being  well  made,  were  but  slightly  wet.  My 
horse,  however,  had  to  swim  for  it,  which  he  did  nobly. 
We  crossed  in  safety,  but  were  wet  nearly  to  the 
middle,  and  our  boots  were  full  of  water.  Making 
out  of  the  bottom  to  the  prairie,  and  having  each  a 
pocket  compass,  we  pursued  a  course  that  Mr.  Allen 
knew  would  strike  a  path  that  would  lead  us  home. 
We  had  still  eight  or  nine  miles  to  go,  and  it  was 
now  near  4  P.  M.  We  had  to  cross  a  high  hill,  so 
steep  in  descent  that  we  had  to  walk  down.  At  the 
foot,  Mr.  Allen  picked  up  a  singular  petrefaction,  and 
I  was  putting  it  in  his  saddle-bags,  which  were  on  my 
horse,  when  I  found  them  half  full  of  water.  In  one 
end,  Mrs.  Allen,  with  considerate  forethought,  had 
placed  a  little  bag  of  ground  coffee,  and  a  paper  of 
sugar.  The  sugar  was  all  melted,  and  so  much  of  the 
coffee  that  it  was  about  the  right  strength.  Though 
in  no  laughing  humor,  the  idea  of  carrying  the  sad- 
dle-bags half  full  of  liquid  coffee,  five  times  sweet- 
ened, was  so  ludicrous  that  we  laughed  heartily. 
After  a  cold  and  weary  ride  we  reached  the  mission 
at  7  P.  M.  They  were  all  glad  to  see  us  back,  as  they 
had  seen  the  storm  passing  in  the  north.  A  change 
of  clothes,  a  cup  of  tea,  and  a  cheerful  fire  made  us 
feel  at  home. 

The  day's  ride,  however,  was  a  hard  one,  both  for 
man  and  horse.  We  were  eleven  hours  on  the  saddle, 
exclusive  of  the  half  hour  we  let  our  horses  graze. 
We  must  have  travelled  above  forty  miles,  and  the 
deep  roads,  the  frequent  crossings  of  deep  and  un- 
bridged  streams,  made  it  fully  equal  to  sixty  miles. 
But  we  were  truly  thankful  that  the  providence  of 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  139 

God  watched  over  us.  Had  we  not  met  with  Wilson, 
we  must  have  remained  in  the  forks  of  the  Boggy  all 
night,  with  no  shelter  but  two  wet  blankets,  and  our 
common  clothes.  Nothing  remains  but  for  me  to 
stand  still  till  these  waters  subside.  I  cannot  return 
even,  for  the  waters  on  the  road  are  up  also.  In  the 
meantime,  were  it  not  for  the  delay,  the  home  with 
these  dear  friends  is  a  very  pleasant  one. 

Saturday,  May  22. — Sore  enough  this  morning, 
and  no  wonder,  for  Mr.  Allan  complains  of  being 
sore  all  over.  It  rained  heavily  in  the  night,  and 
every  time  I  awoke,  I  thought  of  the  forks  of  the 
Boggy,  where,  but  for  the  providence  of  God,  we 
would  have  been  passing  the  night. 

May  23  to  25. — Had  an  attack  of  fever  which  gave 
way  to  medicine.  The  waters  so  much  fallen.  Made 
arrangements  to  try  the  road  again  to-morrow. 

Wednesday,  May  26. — Eained  very  hard  all  night. 
Wapanucka  creek  is  over  all  its  banks.  The  streams 
are  now  higher  than  ever.  No  way  of  getting  either 
back  or  forward.  Feel  sometimes  almost  discour- 
aged. No  chance  of  getting  twelve  miles  either  way 
till  the  waters  fall. 

Monday,  May  31. — Set  out  again  for  the  Seminole 
mission,  with  Mr.  Allan  and  an  Indian  guide.  We 
reached  the  Boggy  at  a  point  higher  up  than  in  the 
former  trial.  The  river  was  not  deep  here,  and  we 
thought  this  could  not  be  the  much  dreaded  stream, 
till  we  looked  up  and  saw  the  high-water  mark  on 
the  trees  some  twenty  feet  above  our  heads.  At 
sundown  we  reached  the  Canadian,  forty-four  miles 
from  Wapanucka.  Our  horses  suffered  much  from 
the  prairie  fly.  My  horse  being  an  iron  grey,  suffered 
the  most,  as  that  is  one  of  their  favourite  colours. 


140  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

From  9  A.M.  till  4  P.M.,  he  was  kept  in  a  constant 
fever  of  excitement. 

The  prairie  fly  is  a  beautiful  insect ;  it  is  about 
half  an  inch  long,  and  three-sixteenths  of  an  inch  in 
thickness.  Its  colour  is  bright  green,  and  the  wings 
are  two-thirds  the  length  of  the  body.  It  strikes  its 
victim  with  the  directness  of  an  arrow,  and  instantly 
inflicts  a  deep  wound,  from  which  the  blood  will  ooze 
out  in  drops,  even  after  the  fly  is  removed.  Had  I 
been  two  weeks  later  in  the  season  I  could  have  trav- 
elled only  at  night,  as  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
them  were  seen  on  the  weeds  and  grass  in  the  prairies, 
not  fully  fledged. 

We  lodged  at  the  cabin  of  a  Shawnee  Indian  with 
a  large  family  of  children.  We  found  on  inquiring 
that  there  were  forty  families  of  Shawnees  settled 
together.  Our  host  could  speak  pretty  good  English 
and  was  willing  to  talk.  His  knowledge  of  God  and 
divine  things  was  very  obscure.  When  asked  if  his 
neighbours  would  attend  to  hear  preaching  and 
prayer,  if  a  missionary  came  to  them,  he  did  not 
seem  to  know  what  the  question  meant.  Would  the 
parents  send  their  children  to  school  ?  He  could  not 
say ;  it  had  never  been  spoken  of.  Would  they  be 
afraid  if  a  white  teacher  came  to  them  ?  No,  they 
were  not  afraid  of  white  men,  why  should  they  ? 
How  many  children  were  there  belonging  to  the  forty 
families  ?  He  did  not  know ;  some  had  four,  some 
six,  some  eight  or  ten ;  some  were  young  men  and 
women,  some  little  children. 

He  treated  us  very  kindly  ;  he  has  been  here  ten 
years,  and  has  a  large  improvement,  many  horses, 
and  cattle  and  even  goats.  His  cabins,  however, 
were  so  small  that  he  made  our  beds  out  of  doors, 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES. 

with  buffalo  skins  and  Indian  blankets.  But  the 
mosquitoes  were  so  numerous  that  I  slept  none  the 
whole  night. 

1.  Little  need  be  added  to  show  the  vital  import- 
ance of  the  measures  here  proposed,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Chickasaw  people.    But  unless  the  qualified 
men  and  women  can  be  obtained,  these  institutions 
cannot  be  commenced.    A  deep  responsibility  rests 
upon  our  brethren  in  the  ministry  in  regard  to  this 
matter.    With  their  assistance  the  proper  agents  can 
be  obtained,  and  no  time  is  to  be  lost,  for  some  of 
them  are  wanted  now,  and  all  will  soon  be  needed  on 
their  field  of  labour. 

2.  It  is  cause  of  encouragement  that  the  whole 
time  of  one  faithful  missionary  is  given  to  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  among  this  people.     Another  is 
greatly  needed  in  the  same  kind  of  itinerant  labours. 
Besides  the  Chickasaws  and  the  Choctaws,  there  are 
the  forty  families  of  the  Shawnees,  who  have  never 
heard  of  salvation.    Who  will  go  to  preach  unto 
them  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  ? 

3.  The  blessings  of  a  strong  mission  among  the 
Chickasaws  will  not  be  confined  to  them,  but  will 
in  due  time  extend  beyond  their  limits,  and  reach 
the  tribes  to  the  south,  and  far  to  the  west.     God  in 
His  providence  has  given  this  people  the  means  of 
improvement,   and  the  disposition  to  use  them,   by 
inviting  to  their  assistance  those  who  are  abundantly 
able  to  instruct  them.     These  institutions,  accom- 
panied by  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  with  the  bless- 
ing of  God,  will  be  the  means  of  raising  up  an  edu- 
cated and  sanctified  native  agency,  far  beyond  their 
own  wants.     From  this  advanced  position,  the  mis- 
sionaries sent  out  can  be  supplied  with  every  facility 


142  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

for  further  advances,  and  accompanied  by  the  native 
brethren,  will  in  time  be  able,  step  by  step,  to  reach 
the  Comanches  of  Texas,  the  Pueblas,  Apaches  and 
Navajoes  of  New  Mexico,  the  ancient  Cibolos,  and 
even  the  poor  root-diggers  of  Utah.  It  was  the  con- 
stant and  untiring  effort  of  the  Apostle  to  the  Gen- 
tiles to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  regions  beyond. 
This  was  the  rule  of  his  life,  so  far  as  he  was  en- 
larged and  sustained  by  the  churches.  So  it  ought 
to  be  with  the  ministers  and  the  churches  now. 

SEMINOLE   MISSION. 

June  1. — Early  on  Tuesday  we  crossed  the  Cana- 
dian without  difficulty,  though  the  water  came  above 
the  skirts  of  the  saddle.  From  bank  to  bank  the 
river  here  is  half  a  mile  wide,  and  about  half  that 
distance  was  now  covered  with  water.  Here  Mr. 
Allan  and  the  Indian  guide  returned,  and  I  pursued 
my  way  alone,  at  first  through  the  wide  forests  which 
adjoin  the  river,  and  afterwards  through  prairies 
interspersed  with  woodland.  I  could  get  no  guide, 
however,  and  soon  lost  my  way  among  the  numerous 
Indian  paths.  I  had  not  been  able  to  ascertain 
whether  the  Seminole  mission  was  to  the  northwest 
or  the  northeast  of  the  point  where  I  crossed  the 
river.  The  account  I  had  received  of  the  distance 
also  varied  from  fourteen  to  twenty-four  miles.  After 
wandering  among  the  paths  for  more  than  two  hours, 
I  struck  a  wagon  road,  and  at  a  venture  took  the 
west  end.  This  soon  brought  me  to  an  Indian  settle- 
ment, but  they  could  not  speak  English.  When 
I  asked  the  road  to  Ed  wards' s  store,  they  always 
pointed  to  the  road  leading  to  the  west.  After  trav- 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  143 

elling  sixteen  miles,  I  met  an  intelligent  Sliawnee 
Indian  who  could  speak  English.  He  informed  me 
that  I  was  on  the  California  road,  going  in  the  wrong 
direction.  I  then  found  I  had  to  go  back  over  these 
long  and  weary  miles.  The  heat  of  the  sun  was 
most  oppressive,  and  the  flies  kept  my  poor  horse  in 
a  ferment  in  every  prairie.  At  sundown  I  reached 
Edwards' s  store,  faint  and  wearied,  for  I  had  eaten 
nothing  all  day.  I  had  travelled  forty-eight  miles, 
and  was  distant  but  ten  miles  from  where  I  had 
parted  with  Mr.  Allan  ;  yet  I  felt  truly  thankful  that, 
in  the  providence  of  God,  I  had  met  this  friendly 
Indian.  Without  his  direction  I  must  have  gone 
further  out  of  the  way,  and  have  been  obliged  to 
lodge  in  the  prairie,  without  food  or  company. 

Wednesday,  June2. — I  reached  the  Seminole  mis- 
sion at  Oak  Ridge,  at  9  A.  M.  It  is  less  than  fifty 
miles  from  Wapanucka,  but  by  the  circuit  we  made 
to  cross  the  Boggy  river,  and  by  losing  my  way,  I 
had  travelled  more  than  one  hundred  miles. 

I  found  the  mission  family  well,  but  very  uneasy 
on  account  of  my  long  delay.  After  speaking  to  all 
the  scholars,  I  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  viewing 
the  premises  and  in  conferring  with  the  missionaries. 
The  site  of  Oak  Ridge  is  well-chosen  for  health,  and 
the  woodland  and  prairies,  for  miles  around,  are 
rich  and  productive.  The  buildings,  owing  to  the 
difficulty  in  getting  boards,  are  not  yet  finished,  and 
in  their  present  state  subject  the  families  to  much 
inconvenience.  When  finished  they  will  accommo- 
date thirty  scholars.  At  present,  the  school  contains 
sixteen  Seminoles,  supported  by  the  mission,  and 
four  Creeks,  supported  by  their  parents. 

There  is  but  little  difference  between  the  Seminole 


144  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

and  Creek  languages.  Living  as  these  two  tribes  do, 
in  the  same  territory,  they  must  at  some  time 
become  one  people.  The  Seminoles  are  much  scat- 
tered, and  show  as  yet  but  little  disposition  to  attend 
on  religious  services ;  though  a  few  living  near  attend 
the  public  worship  on  the  Sabbath.  The  boarding- 
school  appears  to  be  the  best  agency  at  first,  to  bring 
the  blessings  of  the  Gospel  and  civilization  to  them, 
and  if  it  were  enlarged  to  thirty  Seminole  children, 
it  would  in  due  time  be  to  them  a  rich  and  precious 
blessing. 

I  was  so  pressed  for  time,  I  could  stay  but  little 
more  than  one  day  at  the  Seminole  mission,  and  on 
Thursday  at  11  A.  M.,  I  set  out  for  Tallahassee. 
Gilbert  Combs,  one  of  the  largest  boys  of  the  school, 
went  with  me,  to  act  as  interpreter,  in  case  of  need. 
The  road  lay  principally  through  prairies,  and  until 
4  P.M.,  the  flies  stung  my  horse  almost  to  frenzy. 
Then  two  very  heavy  gusts,  or  rather  torrents,  of  rain, 
the  second  succeeding  the  first  at  a  short  interval, 
with  strong  wind,  and  tremendous  thunder  and 
blinding  lightning,  came  down  upon  us  in  the  prairie. 
It  continued  to  rain  all  the  evening,  and  every  little 
rivulet  was  soon  running  so  full  of  water  we  could 
hardly  cross  it.  Till  9  P.  M.,  we  had  come  to  no 
human  habitation,  and  then  we  came  to  a  creek  so 
deep  and  rapid  we  could  not  cross.  Our  condition 
was  now  most  unpleasant,  as  it  was  still  raining. 
The  evening  was  dark,  although  the  moon  had  been 
up  for  half  an  hour.  After  such  heavy  rains,  it  was 
impossible  for  us  to  kindle  a  fire,  destitute,  as  we 
were  of  an  axe,  to  procure  dry  wood.  Just  then  we 
discovered  an  Indian  cabin.  A  single  Indian  was  in 
bed,  and  he  permitted  us  to  stay  all  night.  He,  too, 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  145 

had  got  wet,  and  as  a  kind  Providence  ordered  it  for 
us,  lie  had  left  a  good  fire  burning.  This  was  what 
we  most  needed,  for  all  my  clothes  were  wet,  and 
those  in  my  saddle-bags  were  wet  also.  Mrs.  Lilley 
had  kindly  furnished  us  with  ground  coffee,  and 
plenty  of  other  provisions.  For  the  first  time,  I  tried 
my  hand  at  making  coffee,  and,  being  wet  and  cold, 
we  found  it  excellent.  After  drying  my  clothes  for 
some  time,  I  lay  down  on  the  floor  and  slept  soundly. 
I  felt  truly  thankful  that  the  Lord  had  provided  for 
us  this  humble  shelter. 

Friday,  June  4. — The  morning  was  clear  and 
lovely,  the  sun  came  out  in  all  its  brightness,  and 
the  air  was  cool  and  refreshing.  We  found  that  the 
rain  of  yesterday  had  quieted  our  beautiful  but  tor- 
menting enemies,  the  flies,  and  we  made  good  prog- 
ress on  our  way.  At  noon  we  crossed  the  north 
fork  of  the  Arkansas  river.  The  fording  is  uneven 
and  rocky,  and  the  water  deep  and  rapid,  but  we 
crossed  in  safety.  Near  sunset  we  were  stopped  by 
Elk  creek,  which  was  full  from  bank  to  bank.  We 
lodged  in  an  Indian  cabin,  clean  and  neat,  owned  by 
an  Indian  woman,  who  gave  us  a  good  supper  and 
breakfast.  In  the  morning  her  son  took  us  to  a 
fording  higher  up,  where  we  crossed  without  swim- 
ming the  horses.  For  ten  miles,  till  we  reached  the 
wide  forest  of  the  Arkansas  river,  our  winged  adver- 
saries marked  our  poor  horses  with  many  stains  of 
blood. 

CREEK  MISSION. 

At  noon  on  Saturday,  June  5,  we  reached  Tallahas- 
see, being  one  hundred  miles  in  two  days.  We  were 


146  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

most  cordially  welcomed  by  all  the  missionaries.  They 
too  had  become  quite  anxious  about  me,  having  heard 
nothing  of  me  since  leaving  Fort  Smith,  on  the  29th 
of  April.  If  I  had  not  reached  them  that  day,  they 
would  have  sent  on  Monday  to  inquire  after  me. 

The  boarding-school  at  Tallahassee  contains  forty 
boys  and  forty  girls.  I  examined  it  on  different  days, 
during  my  stay.  The  children  appear  remarkably 
well.  While  in  school  they  are  as  attentive  to 
their  books,  as  quiet,  orderly  and  obedient  as  any 
scholars  need  be.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robertson,  and  Miss 
Eddy,  have  charge  of  the  school,  and  the  scholars 
are  highly  favoured  with  having  such  competent, 
experienced  and  efficient  teachers.  Miss  Stedham 
also  is  employed  as  assistant  native  teacher.  Both 
scholars  and  teachers  are  looking  forward  with  con- 
fidence to  the  July  examination.  From  a  thorough 
examination,  they  have  nothing  to  fear. 

Miss  Thompson  has  the  general  care  of  household 
matters,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Reid.  When  out  of  school 
the  girls  come  under  their  care,  and  I  have  never  seen 
two  ladies  better  qualified  for  such  an  important 
trust.  The  boys,  when  out  of  school,  are  under  the 
care  of  Mr.  Junkin.  Much  of  Mr.  Robertson's  time 
also  is  given  to  them  out  of  school,  and  as  he  has  con- 
siderable skill  in  working  in  wood,  his  example  and 
instructions  in  this,  as  well  as  in  matters  of  more 
importance,  are  of  much  benefit  to  them. 

The  connection  of  Dr.  Junkin  with  the  mission 
was  terminated  by  mutual  consent.  His  purpose  is 
to  reside  a  mile  or  more  from  the  mission,  and  give 
himself  wholly  to  his  profession.  In  case  of  sickness, 
the  mission  will  have  his  services.  He  has,  in  a  good 
degree,  secured  the  confidence  of  this  people,  and  all 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  147 

his  influence  among  them  will  tend  to  promote  their 
best  interests. 

I  spent  the  Sabbath  at  Tallahassee.  Mr.  Lough- 
ridge  had  an  appointment  to  preach  at  a  place  ten 
miles  distant,  from  which  he  returned  at  3  P.  M.  In 
the  morning  the  scholars  met  in  the  Sabbath-school, 
which  presented  much  the  appearance  of  a  Sabbath- 
school  in  one  of  our  churches  at  home.  At  11  A.  M. 
Mr.  Loomis  preached  by  an  interpreter ;  a  few  of  the 
neighbours,  principally  members  of  the  church,  were 
present.  In  the  afternoon,  I  made  an  address  to  the 
scholars,  which  was  translated  by  the  interpreter, 
that  all  might  understand  it.  After  this  I  made  an 
address  to  the  mission  families,  at  some  length,  in  re- 
lation to  the  missionary  work,  its  trials,  and  its  certain 
and  glorious  results.  These  exercises  were  accom- 
panied by  singing  and  prayer,  in  English  and 
Muskogee. 

June  8. — On  Tuesday  at  4  A.  M.,  Mr.  Loughridge, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loomis,  and  myself  set  out  for  Kowe- 
tah,  fifteen  miles  distant.  By  starting  so  early,  we 
stole  a  march  on  the  prairie  flies.  I  stayed  but  one 
day  at  this  station,  which  gave  me  barely  time  to 
examine  the  school  and  the  premises,  and  arrange 
some  prospective  matters  with  the  brethren. 

The  school  contains  forty  scholars  ;  they  are  about 
the  same  ages,  and  are  pursuing  nearly  the  same 
course  of  studies,  as  at  Tallahassee.  I  examined  the 
different  classes,  and  made  to  them  a  short  address. 
These  youth  and  children  are  exceedingly  promising. 
Their  religious  instruction  is  constantly  and  promi- 
nently attended  to.  The  mission  church  is  made  up 
chiefly  of  those  who  have  been,  or  now  are,  scholars  of 
the  school,  and  with  the  continued  blessing  of  God 


148  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

on  the  labours  of  these  his  servants,  this  branch  of 
the  mission,  if  continued  as  at  present,  will  be  of 
lasting  benefit  to  this  people. 

When  Mr.  Loomis's  health  will  permit,  he  will  con- 
duct the  services  in  the  mission  church  on  the  Sab- 
bath, thus  leaving  Mr.  Templeton  to  preach  on  the 
Sabbath  at  different  places,  where  preaching  is  greatly 
needed.  The  evening  was  spent  with  these  beloved 
missionaries,  till  a  late  hour,  in  religious  conversa- 
tion in  reference  to  the  missionary  work. 

June  9. — At  8  A.  M.  I  bade  farewell  to  these  kind 
friends,  and  with  Mr.  Loughridge  returned  to  Talla- 
hassee. For  three  hours,  the  flies,  in  increasing  num- 
bers, tormented  our  horses,  and  wearied  ourselves. 
I  spent  the  day  in  the  school,  and  with  Mr.  Lough- 
ridge,  examining  the  premises  and  all  the  details  of 
existing  arrangements.  It  is  not  necessary  to  speak 
of  his  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of  this  people,  or 
of  his  untiring  efforts  to  do  them  good.  He  still  pos- 
sesses their  confidence,  and  richly  has  he  merited  it 
at  their  hands. 

The  Muskogee  chiefs  are  not  prepared  to  promote 
education  with  the  liberality  that  the  Cherokees, 
Choctaws  and  Creeks  promote  it — yet  they  desire 
their  people  to  be  educated.  In  withdrawing  the 
allowance  from  Kowetah,  I  think  it  not  unlikely  they 
counted  a  good  deal  on  the  Board  sustaining  the 
school  without  expense  to  them. 

June  10.— On  Thursday  at  10  A.  M.  I  parted  with 
the  last  company  of  our  missionary  friends,  after  we 
had  committed  each  other  to  the  protecting  care  and 
mercy  of  our  heavenly  Father.  In  every  instance 
these  partings  have  been  sad  and  painful  to  us  all. 
They  ought  to  remind  us  that  this  is  not  our  rest,  and 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  140 

that  we  are  but  strangers  and  pilgrims  here.  Mr. 
Loughridge  accompanied  me  to  Fort  Gfibson,  nine 
miles  distant.  On  the  way,  we  called  on  General 
Mackintosh,  B.  Marshall,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  Lewis,  three 
of  the  chiefs  whom  I  met  when  here  five  years 
ago. 

IOWAS — SACS — OTTOES — KICKAPOOS. 

Mr.  Lowrie  and  Mr.  William  Rankin,  Jr.,  treas- 
urer of  the  Board,  made  a  visit  to  several  missions  in 
the  Northwest  in  1858 — the  former  then  in  the  seventy- 
fourth  year  of  his  age.  Their  report  of  this  journey 
begins  at  New  Orleans  in  May  of  that  year,  where 
they  had  been  members  of  the  General  Assembly,  as 
Elders  and  Commissioners  from  the  Presbyteries  of 
New  York  and  Newark  respectively.  It  is  pleasant 
to  see  these  narratives  of  their  joint  work.  Mr. 
Rankin,  a  man  of  ample  pecuniary  means,  for 
thirteen  years  in  practice  as  a  lawyer  in  a  prominent 
firm  in  Cincinnati,  was  led  by  his  religious  con- 
victions to  accept  the  office  of  treasurer  of  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  in  1850.  In  this  service  he  con- 
tinued until  advancing  years  led  to  his  retirement  in 
1888 — honoured  and  beloved. 

Of  the  visit  to  these  Northwestern  Indians,  Messrs. 
Lowrie  and  Rankin,  after  a  short  stay  in  St.  Louis,  on 
matters  of  Indian  missionary  business,  arrived  at  the 
Iowa  and  Sac  Mission.  .  .  .  They  were  on  the 
same  boat  from  Jefferson  City  to  Doniphan  with  a 
detachment  of  Government  troops  and  their  supplies, 
for  their  expedition  to  Utah,  to  which  Mr.  Lowrie 
refers  :  "  We  had  a  view  of  what  is  required,  even  on 
a  small  scale,  to  carry  on  war.  Hundreds  of  horses, 


150  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

and  mules,  and  yokes  of  oxen.  Artillery  and  smaller 
arms,  wagons,  tents,  and  military  stores  with  all  kinds 
of  clothing  and  provisions,  were  landed  here,  and  at 
other  points  on  the  Missouri  river.  A  large  body  of 
troops  had  left  the  preceding  day,  on  their  long  march 
across  the  plains.  These  we  afterwards  passed  in  an 
evening  encampment  on  the  prairie.  In  view  of  such 
scenes,  though  on  a  small  scale  compared  with  other 
military  movements,  how  thankful  should  we  be  as  a 
nation,  that  wars  with  us  are  so  infrequent ;  and  how 
earnestly  ought  the  Christian  to  labour  and  pray 
for  the  time  when  men  shall  beat  their  swords  into 
ploughshares,  and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks, 
and  nations  learn  war  no  more. 

Tuesday,  June  1. — Left  the  Iowa  and  Sac  mission, 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irwin,  for  the  Kickapoo  mission, 
where  we  arrived  at  two  o'clock  P.M.  The  mission 
families  were  then  in  good  health,  though  previously 
they  had  suffered  with  chills  and  fevers.  Spent  part 
of  the  time  with  Mr.  Thorne,  arranging  and  deciding 
on  the  improvements  yet  needed,  and  designating  the 
amount  of  expenses  for  the  different  objects. 

The  school  had  at  times  as  many  as  twenty-four 
boys,  but  it  now  contained  but  half  that  number,  and 
as  yet  no  girls  have  attended.  Their  parents  use 
all  manner  of  excuses  for  keeping  the  girls  at  home. 
The  adverse  influences  existing  at  the  Iowa  and  Sac 
mission,  exist  here  in  full  force,  and  will  require  the 
same  action  of  the  Department  to  control  them. 

Our  visit  to  this  mission,  in  many  respects,  was  a 
very  pleasant  one.  Our  friends  in  charge  of  the  in- 
terests of  the  school  and  mission,  have  had  but  little 
experience  or  intercourse  with  Indians.  But  they 
are  devoted  to  this  work,  and  willing  to  contend  with 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  151 

trials  and  discouragements,  if  thereby  they  may  do 
good  to  those  whom  they  were  sent  to  instruct. 

Thursday,  June  3. — Left  for  the  Ottoe  mission, 
some  seventy  miles  distant,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irwin 
returned  home.  Mr.  Irwin  had  furnished  us  with  a 
light  carriage,  well  curtained,  and  drawn  by  two 
horses.  Henry  Mancrovier,  a  half-blood  of  the  Black- 
feet  tribe,  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  went  with 
us,  to  assist  on  the  way,  and  bring  back  the  carriage 
and  horses,  when  we  should  reach  the  river  at  Ne- 
braska City.  Bidding  our  friends  farewell,  we  made 
an  early  start,  and,  on  Friday  the  4th,  reached  the 
Ottoe  mission  at  10  A.M.  On  our  way  we  passed 
the  troops  encamped  on  a  beautiful  prairie  ;  the  tents 
stretching  in  long  and  regular  lines  ;  and  the  horses 
and  oxen  feeding  in  the  distance.  The  most  perfect 
order  and  stillness  reigned  throughout  the  whole. 

We  found  our  friends  here,  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Guthrie,  Miss  Sarah  Conover,  and  the  two  native 
assistants,  in  good  health.  There  was  a  good  deal  of 
business  matters  to  be  attended  to.  A  beginning 
only  has  been  made  in  the  improvements.  We  re- 
mained at  the  mission  till  Tuesday,  the  8th.  On 
Saturday  we  visited  the  Indian  village,  a  short  ac- 
count of  which  has  been  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Rankin. 
There  were  no  children  in  the  school,  yet  the  Indians 
appear  to  be  friendly,  and  when  spoken  to,  always 
promise  to  send  their  children  to  the  school.  Their 
agent,  Major  Denniston,  had  urged  them  strongly  to 
make  no  more  delay,  and  they  said  as  soon  as  they 
returned  from  their  summer  hunt,  they  would  fill  up 
the  school.  Their  hunt,  much  to  their  disadvantage, 
was  a  failure.  The  Cheyennes  barred  their  way  on 
one  side,  and  the  hostile  Sioux  on  the  other,  so  that 


152  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

they  could  not  reach  the  hunting-ground,  and  thus 
were  forced  to  return  empty-handed.  The  adverse 
influences  here  are  much  the  same  as  at  the  Iowa  and 
Kickapoo  missions,  and  the  same  remedial  measures 
will  be  required  to  remove  them. 

Tuesday,  June  8. — Set  out  early  for  Nebraska 
City,  seventy-six  miles  distant.  Hitherto  we  had 
been  greatly  favoured,  in  not  being  detained  in  cross- 
ing the  streams.  Shortly  before  we  reached  them, 
they  were  too  high  to  be  forded,  and  soon  after  we 
had  passed  they  were  again  flooded  with  the  heavy 
rains.  We  reached  the  Great  Nemaha,  thirty-five 
miles,  at  two  o'clock  P.M.  We  crossed  without  diffi- 
culty, although  the  waters  were  too  high  for  perfect 
safety.  Soon  after  a  heavy  rain  came  on,  which  con- 
tinued all  night,  and  which  stopped  our  further 
journeying  for  that  day.  Had  we  been  a  day  later, 
we  could  not  have  crossed  till  the  stream  subsided. 
Next  day  brought  us  to  the  Little  Nemaha.  Here 
the  crossing  was  really  dangerous,  but  we  got  over  in 
safety,  with  some  wetting  to  our  carpet-bags.  For 
eighteen  miles  the  roads  were  the  worst  that  any  of 
us  had  ever  seen.  The  ravines  and  small  streams 
running  from  the  interior  to  the  river,  seemed  to  be 
nothing  but  tracts  of  quicksand  ;  in  crossing  them, 
the  horses  would  sink  up  to  the  shoulder.  At  one 
place  I  thought  the  poor  horses  were  gone,  and  that 
they  never  could  struggle  through.  To  make  it 
worse,  a  cold  rain  fell  in  torrents  the  most  of  those 
weary  eighteen  miles.  Our  young  driver,  Henry, 
got  frightened  at  their  plunges,  and  I  had  to  take 
the  rains  myself.  This  gave  me  a  full  share  of  the 
falling  rain.  But  a  merciful  Providence  watched 
over  us,  and  at  three  o'clock,  P.M.,  we  reached  Ne- 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  153 

braska  City,  where  our  land  journey  was  for  the 
present  to  terminate.  The  rain  continued  nearly 
the  whole  night. 

Thursday,  June  10. — The  rain  had  ceased,  and 
we  started  Henry  with  the  team  back  to  the  Iowa 
mission.  By  crossing  into  the  States  of  Iowa  and 
Missouri  the  road  to  the  mission  was  good.  He 
reached  home  in  safety.  No  white  boy  of  his  age 
could  have  been  more  competent  or  careful.  The 
steamer  "Emigrant"  had  just  arrived,  and  we  took 
passage  in  her  for  Bellevue,  sixty  miles  distant  by 
water.  The  wetting  of  the  preceding  day  brought  on 
a  severe  chill,  which  was  followed  by  a  fever.  I  kept 
my  berth  all  day,  and  reaching  Bellevue  at  dark,  we 
met  Mr.  Hamilton  at  the  landing,  and  were  soon  at 
home  with  his  quiet  and  amiable  family. 

.  .  .  In  my  weak  state  of  health,  Mr.  Rankin 
rendered  efficient  assistance  in  attending  to  business  ; 
this,  indeed,  he  had  done  at  the  different  missions - 
From  his  being  on  the  ground,  and  seeing  the  work 
and  the  wants  of  the  missionary  labourers,  he  carried 
back  clearer  views  of  the  work  itself,  than  could  be 
given  by  any  description.  I  was  very  anxious  to  visit 
the  Omaha  mission,  one  hundred  miles  above  Belle- 
vue. But  the  road  on  the  river  bottom  was  almost 
impassable.  The  streams  were  high,  and  the  bridges 
all  carried  away  by  the  flood.  The  ridge  road  was 
still  open,  but  it  was  fifty  miles  further,  and  required 
camping  out  for  at  least  two  nights  each  way.  I 
waited  some  days  for  a  boat,  but  could  hear  of  none 
going  higher  up  than  Omaha  City.  With  much 
reluctance,  I  gave  up  the  visit  to  this  mission,  and 
engaged  Mr.  Hamilton  to  pay  it  a  visit,  and  confer 
with  the  brethren  there  on  some  points  of  interest  to 


154  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

the  mission  and  the  school.  This  labour  of  love  Mr. 
Hamilton  performed,  by  the  first  boat  that  came  up 
after  we  left. 

This  mission,  though  not  exempt  from  the  dis- 
couraging influence  existing  at  the  other  missions,  is 
upon  the  whole  encouraging.  Twenty-four  boys  and 
eight  girls  are  in  the  schools,  while  the  chiefs  and 
Indians  generally  appear  to  place  full  confidence  in 
their  missionaries  and  teachers. 

In  this  month,  Mr.  Lowrie  turned  over  some  mat- 
ters of  business  to  Mr.  Rankin,  and  returned  to  the 
Mission  House,  New  York.  Mr.  Rankin' s  report  here 
follows : 

The  Ottoe  mission  is  seventy -five  miles  west  from 
the  Missouri  river,  a  few  rods  south  of  the  fortieth 
parallel  of  latitude,  which  divides  the  Territories  of 
Kansas  and  Nebraska.  It  stands  on  a  rich  prairie, 
with  running  water  near  at  hand,  and  with  woodland 
views  in  every  direction.  The  Mission  House,  a  large 
three-story  building  of  concrete,  is  a  conspicuous 
object  at  the  distance  of  several  miles. 

Mr.  Lowrie  and  myself,  with  our  Indian  boy  Henry, 
of  the  Iowa  school,  arrived  at  the  Mission  on  Friday, 
the  4th  of  June,  having  travelled  seventy  miles  in  a 
two-horse  curtained  wagon  from  the  Kickapoo  mis- 
sion. The  Rev.  H.  W.  Guthrie  and  wife  are  here  as 
superintendents,  and  Miss  Sarah  Conover  as  teacher. 
There  are  also  as  assistants,  Kirwan  Murray  and  Re- 
becca, his  wife ;  Isaac  Coe,  and  Margaret,  a  Pawnee, 
all  educated  at  the  Iowa  school.  I  may  not  omit 
Harriet,  the  coloured  woman,  who  served  so  long  and 
faithfully  Mrs.  Irwin,  in  her  missionary  labours 
among  the  lowas,  and  spoke  so  affectionately  of  her. 
We  found  here,  also,  an  excellent  farmer,  engaged  by 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  155 

Mr.  Guthrie,  whom  we  hope  to  retain.  He  had 
planted  about  twenty-five  acres  in  corn  and  potatoes. 

Thus  provided  with  teachers  and  assistants,  and  a 
commodious  building,  forty  or  fifty  children  may  be 
accommodated  at  the  Institution,  but  from  various 
causes  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  none  were  in  the 
school  at  present. 

Our  arrival  at  the  mission  at  this  time  seemed  very 
opportune.  Some  finishing  work  about  the  building 
was  going  on.  The  garden,  farm,  and  pasture-field 
required  fencing,  which  was  in  part  under  way.  The 
experience  of  the  secretary  enabled  him  to  modify 
some  projected  improvements,  and  suggest  others, 
and  the  three  days  spent  here,  exclusive  of  the  Sab- 
bath, were  most  laborously  occupied. 

In  the  hope  of  inducing  the  Indians  to  place  their 
children  in  the  school,  we  made  a  visit  to  them  at 
their  village,  six  miles  off — Mr.  Lowrie  having  sent 
word  in  advance  that  he  was  coming  to  hold  a  coun- 
cil with  their  chiefs.  The  village  presented  a  beauti- 
ful appearance  in  the  distance,  and  much  resembled 
a  military  encampment.  It  is  located  on  the  edge  of 
a  grove,  with  a  large  stream  (the  Blue)  running 
through  it,  and  has  a  broad  open  prairie  in  front,  on 
which  a  large  number  of  ponies  were  feeding.  We 
passed  two  or  three  graveyards,  and  saw  in  one  of 
these  picket  enclosures,  two  mourning  women  by  the 
remains  of  children,  who  had  died  the  day  before. 
The  dead  are  buried  in  a  sitting  posture,  as  these 
cone-like  mounds  of  earth  indicate. 

The  Ottoe  tribe  numbers  eight  hundred,  and  there 
may  have  been  one  hundred  tents  or  lodges.  Besides 
the  ponies,  there  was  a  goodly  supply  of  dogs.  The 
Indians  are  very  fond  of  these  barking  curs,  that 


156  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

came  about  us,  and  treat  them  as  they  do  their  chil- 
dren, feeding  them  from  the  same  dish. 

Our  arrival  at  the  village  awakened  little  interest 
among  the  people.  A  few  came  around  us,  but  most 
of  them  took  no  notice  of  the  strangers.  Groups  of 
men  and  boys  were  playing  marbles.  Others  were 
stretched  full  length  on  the  grass.  Some  were  fan- 
tastically ornamented.  One  young  Indian  was  pass- 
ing by  on  a  pony  with  his  head  shaved  and  body 
painted  all  over.  Not  a  man  or  boy  was  at  work, 
Their  cornfield  is  a  little  distance  off,  but  it  is  tilled 
by  the  government  farmer,  and  for  all  other  work, 
when  not  on  their  hunt,  the  women  are  hewers  of 
wood  and  drawers  of  water  and  bearers  of  burdens. 
A  number  were  shifting  tents,  and  I  saw  one  woman 
bent  under  a  load  of  tent-poles,  that  would  have 
weighed  down  a  strong  labouring  man.  Another 
had  upon  her  back  all  the  utensils  of  her  lodge  and 
its  canvass  covering.  One  squaw  standing  near, 
turned  up  to  me  her  infant's  face,  as  it  lay  in  its 
blanket-bed  on  her  shoulders,  and  said  with  a 
pleasant  smile  "pappoose."  One  cannot  but  admire 
these  Indian  children,  with  their  bright,  intelligent 
faces  and  athletic  forms.  I  do  not  wonder  that  our 
missionary  teachers  among  other  tribes  become  so 
much  attached  to  them. 

I  looked  into  some  of  the  tents.  Nothing  was  to 
be  seen  but  a  little  fire  in  the  centre  and  a  few  cook- 
ing and  eating  utensils.  Men,  women  and  children, 
with  yelping  dogs,  were  sitting  or  lying  on  deer  or 
buffalo  skins.  All  wore  blankets  save  some  of  the 
younger  children,  who  were  naked. 

We  were  disappointed  in  finding  most  of  the 
chiefs  away  on  a  friendly  visit  to  the  Pawnees  and 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  157 

Kaws,  and  that  no  general  council  could  be  held. 
But  one  of  them  was  at  home,  "Big  Soldier,"  who 
came  up  and  saluted  us.  He  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
red  race,  with  an  expression  of  intelligence  and 
energy.  He  held  together  with  one  hand  his  blanket 
thrown  loosely  over  his  shoulders,  while  in  speaking 
he  gesticulated  with  the  other.  Several  times  when 
specially  animated,  the  blanket  fell  off  and  disclosed 
a  manly  form,  entirely  naked,  save  a  strap  or  bandage 
of  dressed  skin  bound  round  his  loins,  and  rings  and 
beads  pendant  from  three  openings  slit  in  his  ears. 

Mr.  Lowrie  shook  hands  with  the  chief,  and  intro- 
duced to  him  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guthrie  and  myself.  He 
then,  through  Henry  as  interpreter,  addressed  him  as 
follows:  "I  have  come  all  the  way  from  New  York 
to  see  you  and  the  other  chiefs.  I  am  sorry  so  many 
are  absent,  but  am  glad  to  meet  you,  and  find  you 
well.  I  wanted  to  see  how  the  mission  house  gets  on, 
which  your  grandfather,  the  President,  has  built  for 
you.  I  am  surprised  and  grieved  to  find  that  none 
of  the  children  are  in  the  school.  It  grieves  me  to 
see  them  here  running  about  naked,  or  in  blankets, 
when  they  might  be  dressed  like  Kirwan  and  Henry. 
These  were  sent  to  school,  and,  as  you  see,  are  just 
like  white  men.  That  mission  house  was  built  for 
you,  that  your  children  might  be  taught  to  work,  to 
speak  English,  to  read  and  write.  Your  grandfather 
wants  you  to  be  equal  to  your  white  neighbours,  to 
stand  up  by  their  side,  and  not  be  imposed  on.  These 
bright-looking  children  that  I  see  about  me  may  all 
become  white  men  and  women.  These  good  friends 
(pointing  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guthrie)  have  come  here 
from  a  great  distance  to  do  them  good,  and  to  do  you 
good.  They  will  feed,  and  clothe,  and  teach  your 


158  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

children.  When  sick  they  will  take  care  of  them. 
If  any  of  your  people  are  sick,  let  them  know  it,  and 
they  will  come  and  give  them  medicine.  I  expect 
soon  to  visit  your  grandfather  at  Washington,  and  I 
will  tell  him  that  I  have  been  here — and  what  do  you 
think  he  will  say,  when  he  hears  that  none  of  these 
boys  and  girls  are  yet  in  the  school  ?  I  think  he  will 
say  that  you  are  doing  very  wrong,  and  that  you 
must  have  no  more  annuities  until  your  children  are 
sent  to  school,  and  kept  there." 

Big  Soldier  replied,  that  the  chiefs  would  return 
in  four  or  five  days,  and  they  would  then  talk  over 
what  had  been  said.  He  believed  they  would  send 
the  children  to  school.  They  had  better  be  there  than 
playing  about  here  doing  nothing.  Some  of  them 
had  been  sent,  and  had  run  away,  because  they  did 
not  like  to  stay.  He  thought  the  chiefs  would  make 
them  stay.  He  was  glad  they  were  to  have  medicine, 
for  yesterday  two  of  the  children  died.  He  then 
changed  the  subject.  Said  that  the  Pawnees  were 
coming  to  make  war  on  them,  and  take  their  horses. 
Mr.  Lowrie  told  him,  that  the  Pawnees  would  not 
make  war  on  them.  Their  father,  the  agent,  would 
not  permit  it,  and  concluded  by  again  referring  to  the 
duty  of  the  chiefs  in  regard  to  their  children,  and 
what  would  be  expected  of  them.  We  then  shook 
hands  with  Big  Soldier  and  a  number  of  others  who 
were  standing  about. 

It  was  a  sad  sight,  next  to  being  in  an  insane  re- 
treat, to  see  such  childishness  on  the  part  of  full- 
grown  men  and  women.  No  wonder  that  these  tribes 
melt  away  under  the  influence  of  shrewd  and  unprin- 
cipled white  men.  The  power  of  Christian  missions 
can  alone  rescue  them  from  that  oblivion  to  which 


MISSIONS  AMONG  INDIAN  TRIBES.  159 

they  are  hastening  ;  and  this  fact  is  doubly  apparent 
to  one  who  has  seen,  as  I  have,  the  social  tendencies 
of  the  "untutored  Indian,"  surrounded  by  the  de- 
structive tendencies  of  those  who  care  only  for  their 
lands. 

What  effect  this  mission  is  to  have  upon  this  de- 
graded tribe,  it  is  of  course  impossible  to  say.  The 
providence  of  God  has  cast  these  Indians  upon  the 
Board.  Discouragements  met  us  at  the  outset,  and  a 
wavering  faith  would  throw  off  the  burden,  and  leave 
a  race  of  men  to  perish.  It  would  be  the  first  instance 
in  our  history,  of  the  Church  deserting  those  for  whose 
welfare  she  had  embarked,  because  of  their  indiffer- 
ence to  their  own  future.  There  is  success  in  hope- 
ful effort,  in  perseverance,  and  in  prayer.  We 
remember  discouragements  in  the  early  missions 
among  the  lowas,  the  Chippewas,  and  south-western 
tribes,  but  these  vanished  before  the  self-sacrificing 
labours  of  the  beloved  brethren  and  sisters  who  went 
among  them.  Our  secretary  could  point  with  deep 
gratitude  to  those  two  youths,  Kirwan  and  Henry, 
from  the  Iowa  mission,  who  were  with  us  on  this 
visit,  and  make  them,  as  he  did,  his  strongest  argu- 
ment to  the  naked  chief,  in  behalf  of  the  Christian 
education  of  his  tribe.  It  was  unfortunate  that  the 
chiefs  were  not  all  present,  that  he  might  have  ex- 
acted of  them,  in  solemn  council,  a  promise  that  their 
children  should  at  once  enter  the  institution.  We 
live  in  hope  of  seeing  them  there,  and  of  witnessing 
the  blessing  of  Grod  upon  these  Ottoe  Indians. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


COLLECTING  AGENTS   OR  FIELD   SECRETARIES. 

THE  methods  of  obtaining  funds  for  the  support  of 
missions  required  careful  consideration  by  the  W.  F. 
M.  Society,  and  also  by  the  B.  F.  Missions  in  its 
earlier  years.  Both  had  adopted  the  plan  of  employ- 
ing agents  for  this  purpose.  Both  Dr.  Swift  and  Mr. 
Lowrie  strongly  favoured  it.  In  those  days  it  was 
evidently  expedient,  and  was  in  general  use  by 
benevolent  societies  and  boards.  As  an  example, 
the  American  Colonization  Society,  in  Washington, 
supported  by  members  of  all  denominations,  adopted 
this  method  and  other  methods  of  similar  nature  ; 
and  when  Mr.  Lowrie,  as  an  honorary  member  of  its 
Board  of  Managers,  prepared  at  their  request  a  report 
on  its  embarrassed  financial  condition,  it  met  with 
their  unanimous  approval. — Seventeenth  Annual 
Report,  1834,  pages  26-37. 

The  Presbyterian  Board  was  regarded  as  highly 
favoured  in  obtaining  the  services  of  the  Rev.  John 
Breckinridge,  D.D.,  as  general  agent  in  1838 ;  but 
an  urgent  call  to  a  pastoral  charge,  and  his  lamented 
departure  from  this  life,  led  to  the  discontinuance  of 
the  agency  in  1841.  The  usual  agencies,  each  extend- 
ing to  a  few  synods,  were  appointed  down  to  1855, 
when  they  were  discontinued.  This  was  the  result  of 
discussions  in  the  Church  courts  and  in  the  religious 
newspapers,  etc.  Some  of  the  ablest  and  best  minis- 


A  GOOD  WORKING  PLAN.  161 

ters  were  employed  in  this  service,  but  it  was  difficult 
to  secure  sucli  men  and  difficult  to  retain  them ;  be- 
sides, it  involved  an  expense  amounting  to  over 
$50,000  for  salaries  from  1838  to  1855.  The  secretary 
and  other  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  all 
agreed  as  to  the  expediency  of  discontinuing  the  Col- 
lecting Agents  or  Field  Secretaries.  Henceforth  the 
cause  of  missions  was  to  rest  for  its  pecuniary  sup- 
port on  Divine  grace,  and  on  our  church  principles  ; 
or  the  doctrine  of  Christian  stewardship,  and  on  the 
Apostolic  direction  in  I.  Corinthians,  xvi,  1.  Its 
agents  were  to  be  the  pastors  and  elders  or  other 
members  of  the  churches.  Even  in  former  times  they 
were  the  main  supporters  of  the  cause  of  missions. 

A   GOOD   WOKKING  PLAN. 

It  is  still  of  great  moment  to  have  in  each  congre- 
gation a  good  working  plan  for  church  collections. 
An  example  may  be  cited,  which  has  proved  for 
twenty  years  to  be  acceptable,  efficient  and  success- 
ful. It  is  briefly  this  : — 1.  A  collection  every  Lord's 
day.  2.  A  certain  number  of  collections  on  successive 
days  assigned  to  each  cause  by  the  session  of  the 
church,  its  members  having  conferred  with  members 
of  the  church  as  to  this  distribution.  3.  These 
weekly  collections  to  be  asked  for  in  three  classes : 
First,  for  communion  expenses  and  relief  of  the  poor. 
Second,  for  Providential  objects  ;  none  of  these  being 
ordinarily  numerous.  Third,  for  the  Boards  of  the 
Church.  Collections  for  these  Boards  to  be  taken  on 
so  many  successive  Sabbaths  for  each,  as  the  church 
session  may  appoint.  Notice  to  be  given  from  the 
pulpit  on  the  Sabbath  preceding  each  series,  with  a 


162  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

sermon  or  statement  of  the  object.  This  plan  has 
given  great  satisfaction.  It  has  special  merits.  One 
of  these  is  that  it  secures  support  for  all  the  regular 
church  objects.  Another  is  that  it  leaves  to  each 
donor  to  decide  as  to  the  object  and  the  amount  of 
his  or  her  gifts  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  so  far  as  these 
are  to  be  connected  with  the  church.  On  lately  in- 
quiring of  the  respected  pastor  of  this  church — which 
is  one  of  the  best,  though  subject  to  removal  of  its 
members  to  the  city  and  to  the  West— as  to  the  suc- 
cess of  this  plan  after  so  many  years,  he  replied : 
"  Twenty  years  ago  this  church  was  pecuniarily  twice 
as  strong  as  it  is  now  ;  but  its  gifts  are  now  twice  as 
large  as  they  were  then."  In  both  dates  this  church 
was  favored  with  having  the  same  minister. 

DEPUTATIONS  TO  THE  MISSIONS. 

Some  difference  of  opinion  exists  as  to  the  expedi- 
ency of  official  visits  to  the  Missions  in  foreign 
countries,  by  the  Secretaries  or  other  agents  of  the 
Board.  These  visits  are  advocated  on  the  ground  of 
their  usefulness  to  both  agents  and  missionaries,  in 
securing  a  good  knowledge  by  both  parties — as  to 
each  other  and  as  to  the  subjects  which  require  their 
joint  consideration — resulting  in  the  adoption  of  plans 
which  require  the  expenditure  of  funds  in  greater  or 
less  degree.  This  personal  acquaintance  is  a  matter 
of  moment,  it  ought  always  to  be  secured  before  a 
missionary  goes  to  his  field  of  labor.  In  missions  of 
long  existence  and  matured  experience,  however, 
most  questions  are  likely  to  be  settled  by  brethren  of 
the  home  office  and  in  the  field  without  special  visits, 
as  on  both  sides  they  are  governed  by  similar 


DEPUTATIONS  TO  THE  MISSIONS.  163 

religious  principles  of  action,  aided  by  the  admirable 
organization  of  our  church  courts — especially  by  the 
Presbyteries.  The  social  intercourse  of  home  visits 
by  missionaries  to  this  country  are  often  necessary  as 
well  as  useful.  There  are  difficulties  and  practical 
objections  to  "deputations,"  however,  which  stand 
in  the  way. 

First  of  all,  are  they  really  needed  ?  Are  not  the 
brethren  in  the  field  competent  for  their  work  ?  Con- 
sider who  they  are.  Then,  these  visits  are  necessarily 
made  in  some  degree  of  haste,  perhaps  hurry.  The 
secretaries,  or  the  visitors,  if  they  are  the  right  men, 
have  their  main  and  great  work  already  in  hand  at 
home.  Their  visits  abroad  are  of  limited  time,  and 
so  are  necessarily  lacking  in  thoroughness,  at  most  a 
sojourn  of  a  day  or  two  with  a  missionary's  family, 
or  at  a  mission  station,  all  the  time  probably  that  can 
be  allotted  to  it,  can  seldom  be  satisfactory — in 
several  respects.  The  expense  of  these  journeys  is 
also  to  be  considered ;  usually  amounting  to  hun- 
dreds, sometimes  to  many  hundreds,  of  dollars.  The 
longer  a  Missionary  Board  continues  in  its  adminis- 
tration, the  less  should  be  its  executive  expenditures, 
pro  rata,  and  not  the  greater.  But  without  dwelling 
on  the  pros  and  cons  of  the  case,  all  will  concur  in 
the  judgment  that  much  depends  on  the  men  on  both 
sides.  The  danger  is  that  of  relying  too  much  on  the 
secretaries,  and  too  little  on  the  missionaries. 

As  germane  to  this  memoir — this  subject  was  very 
earnestly  brought  before  the  Secretary  by  the  early 
missionaries  in  China,  who  requested  him  to  make 
them  a  visit,  to  aid  them  in  settling  the  grave 
questions  at  the  beginning  of  our  missionary  work  in 
that  vast  country.  But  these  matters  were  happily 


164  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

disposed  of  without  tJie  desired  visit.  The  inference 
from  all  is  :  Single  out  the  right  men  on  both  sides ; 
then  trust  them,  under  Divine  guidance — each  in  his 
own  sphere  ;  in  connection  with  his  Presbytery  ;  as  a 
part  of  our  Church  system  under  the  General 
Assembly.  By  "  Deputations,"  no  reference  is 
intended  to  informal  visits  to  Indian  Tribes. 

MISSION  HOUSE  LIBRARY. 

In  1840,  the  senior  secretary  gave  a  good  deal  of 
consideration  to  the  forming  of  a  library,  for  the  use 
of  the  missionary  rooms.  In  1861,  such  progress  had 
been  made  that  a  catalogue  of  nearly  one  hundred 
pages  octavo  was  printed,  under  the  title  of  "A 
Catalogue  of  the  Books  and  Maps  Belonging  to  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church."  In  the  general  index  these  were  classified 
under  Africa,  Bibles,  Biography,  China,  Commerce, 
Dictionaries,  Grammars,  etc.,  Geography,  Idolatry, 
India,  Indians,  Miscellaneous,  Missions,  Periodicals, 
Polynesia  and  Oceania,  Voyages  and  Travels  ;  the 
book  number  preceding  each  title,  and  the  names  of 
donors  following  each  gift,  respectively.  Most  of 
them  were  valuable ;  many  of  them,  rare ;  some  of 
them  of  special  interest.  It  was  a  collection  of  books 
that  amply  repaid  its  founder  for  the  hours  secured 
from  other  and  pressing  labours.  His  special  inter- 
est in  China  had  led  him  to  give  to  this  library  from 
his  own  collection,  and  to  procure  from  other  sources, 
not  a  few  volumes  in  the  Chinese  language.  In  1844, 
a  large  number  of  volumes  in  the  same  language  were 
presented  to  this  library  by  the  late  Mr.  David  W. 
C.  Olyphant,  a  distinguished  merchant  of  New  York, 


I  CHILDREN'S  FUND.  165 

in  the  China  trade.  He  had  obtained  the  services  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Bridgeman,  eminently  qualified  for  the 
work,  to  procure  these  volumes — nearly  2,000  in  num- 
ber. It  was  a  noble  gift.  And  it  was  noteworthy 
that  two  such  men  should  have  had  the  same  object 
in  view  previous  to  their  personal  acquaintance.  See 
extracts  from  their  letters  in  the  Foreign  Missionary 
Chronicle,  New  York,  1844,  pages  254,  255. 

The  Chinese  part  of  the  library  is  supposed  to  be 
unusual  in  this  country.  Besides  Mr.  Olyphant's 
splendid  gift,  a  number  of  Chinese  books  were  received 
from  other  donors.  In  addition  to  the  books  above 
referred  to,  there  are  now  many  volumes  of  letters  in 
manuscript,  consisting  of  the  correspondence  of  the 
Board  with  its  friends  at  home  and  the  missionaries 
abroad.  Copies  of  the  official  letters,  the  others  orig- 
inal— bound,  indexed  and  classified  according  to 
date  and  to  the  missions  respectively.  These  are 
official  and  not  public,  and  they  are  invaluable. 

The  friends  of  Foreign  Missions,  of  course,  will 
not  expect  this  library  to  become  one  of  the  great 
libraries,  but,  as  a  collection  of  books  for  particular 
uses,  it  will  be  gradually  enlarged.  The  efficient  and 
gratuitous  services  of  Mr.  W.  Henry  Grant,  librarian 
now  in  the  charge  of  it,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Board,  will  no  doubt  tend  to  increase  its  usefulness. 

This  collection  consists  now,  in  1895,  of  about  seven 
thousand  volumes. 

"CHILDKEN'S  FUND"  $13,000. 

This  fund,  as  reported  by  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  in  1866,  owed  its  existence  chiefly  to  the 
Secretary's  pleading  for  it  in  the  last  years  of  his  life. 


166  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

Its  object  was  to  aid  in  the  support  and  education  of 
the  children  of  missionaries.  This  education  can 
seldom  be  fully  obtained  among  anti-Christian 
nations,  so  that  the  painful  separation  of  missionary 
parents  and  children  for  some  years  seems  to  be 
unavoidable.  It  is  usually  the  greatest  trial  of  mis- 
sionary life — a  trial  in  which  all  Christian  parents  can 
give  them  warm  sympathy.  It  is  a  trial  somewhat 
mitigated  when  the  mother  can  accompany  her  chil- 
dren for  a  time. 

The  responsibility  of  deciding  on  the  plans  that 
should  be  adopted  for  the  children  rests  on  their 
parents,  and  while  they  are  living  cannot  be  trans- 
ferred to  other  parties.  The  main  thing  is  that  of 
the  Jiome  for  them  ;  and  usually  this  should  be  sought 
in  the  circle  of  family  relations  and  friends,  where 
they  may  enjoy  family  ties  and  influences,  acquaint- 
ances, sympathies,  occupations,  etc.,  like  other  chil- 
dren. These  relatives  may  find  the  extra  expense  in- 
volved to  be  inconvenient ;  and  a  "  Children' s  Fund" 
may  in  such  cases  be  quite  useful,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Missionary  Board.  Thus  far  it  is  the  chil- 
dren's home  that  their  parents  will  chiefly  consider. 
The  question  of  their  school  is  also  important,  but 
less  difficult.  The  number  of  excellent  colleges, 
boarding  academies  and  seminaries,  often  ready  to 
admit  a  scholar  or  two  at  reduced  rates  ;  their  being 
within  easy  reach  of  the  resident  homes  of  the  scholars 
for  their  vacations ;  climatic  conditions,  in  some 
cases  ;  lessen  the  difficulties. 

The  "  Children's  Fund  "  would  probably  have  been 
much  larger  if  the  active  years  of  the  Secretary  had 
been  prolonged.  A  pamphlet,  published  in  1855,  no 
doubt  received  his  consideration:  "Remarks  on  the 


RE-ELECTION  DECLINED.  167 

Provision  that  Should  be  Made  for  the  Children  of 
Missionaries,"  New  York:  A.  D.  F.  Randolph. 
Recently  special  buildings  have  been  provided  at 
Wooster,  and  in  connection  with  the  college  in  that 
city,  under  the  liberal  charge  and  supervision  of  a 
number  of  ladies.  It  is  believed  that  great  good  will 
result  from  this  arrangement. 

RE-ELECTION   AS   SECRETARY   DECLINED. 

Mr.  Lowrie  had  generally  enjoyed  good  health,  and 
he  was  accustomed  to  undertake  a  large  amount  of 
labour.  But  when  he  had  become  over  eighty  years  of 
age  he  was  subject  to  infirmities.  It  became  increas- 
ingly difficult  for  him  to  make  journeys,  which  his 
office  seemed  at  times  to  call  for,  or  to  remain  at  his 
desk  without  fatigue,  as  in  former  years.  His 
judgment  was  clear  that  the  time  had  arrived  when 
he  should  withdraw  from  public  service.  Accord- 
ingly on  the  fourth  of  May,  1865,  he  addressed  a  letter 
to  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  declining  a  re- 
election as  a  corresponding  secretary  of  the  Board. 

The  following  Minute  was  then  adopted  by  the 
Board  : 

"  Whereas,  A  communication  oias  been  received 
from  the  Hon.  Walter  Lowrie,  declining,  on  account 
of  his  advanced  age,  and  very  impaired  health,  a  re- 
election as  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Board ;  and 
whereas  he  has  served  the  Board  in  this  relation  of 
Secretary  for  thirty-two  years  with  distinguished 
ability,  untiring  zeal,  and  most  conscientious  faith- 
fulness, to  the  unqualified  satisfaction  of  the  Church 
at  large,  as  well  as  the  successive  members  of  the 
Board,  during  his  protracted  term  of  service  :  There- 
fore 


168  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

"Resolved,  1st. — That  this  Board  receives  his  com- 
munication with  unfeigned  regret,  and  accepts  his 
declinature  solely  on  the  ground  stated  by  himself. 
Knowing,  as  this  Board  does,  that  the  value  of  his 
past  service  cannot  be  overestimated,  and  that  nothing 
short  of  physical  disability  for  the  duties  of  the 
office  has  constrained  him  to  withdraw  from  a  work 
for  which  he  voluntarily  abandoned  an  honourable  and 
lucrative  position  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  ; 
and  to  which,  under  an  irrepressible  conviction  of  his 
duty  and  its  importance,  and  with  unwavering  faith 
in  its  ultimate  triumph,  he  consecrated  three  of  his 
sons  as  well  as  himself. 

"  Resolved,  2d. — That  the  Board  renders  to  the 
Hon.  Walter  Lowrie  its  grateful  acknowledgments 
for  all  his  past  services,  and  especially  for  his  gratui- 
tous counsel  and  aid,  during  the  last  three  years,  to 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  ;  and  in  part- 
ing with  our  venerable  and  honored  Secretary  we  fol- 
low him  with  our  warmest  wishes  and  prayers  that 
God's  presence  may  go  before  him,  God's  grace  succor 
and  cheer  him,  and  at  last  minister  to  him  an  abund- 
ant entrance  into  the  heavenly  kingdom. 

"Resolved,  3d. — That  Mr.  Lowrie  be  invited  at  his 
convenience  and  pleasure  to  sit  as  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  the  Executive  Committee  of  this  Board." 

In  the  General  Assembly  of  May  in  the  same  year, 
the  following  Minute  was  adopted,  at  the  instance  of 
its  Standing  Committee  on  Foreign  Missions,  Rev. 
Robert  J.  Breckinbridge,  D.  D.,  Chairman. 

"We  have  learned  with  deep  regret  that  the  Hon. 
Walter  Lowrie,  for  so  many  years  the  devoted  and 
efficient  senior  Secretary  of  the  Board,  has,  on  account 


LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH.  169 

of  his  advanced  age  and  impaired  health,  declined  a 
re-election :    Therefore 

"Resolved,  lt?i. — That  we  take  great  pleasure  in 
recording  our  high  appreciation  of  the  invaluable 
services  of  the  retiring  Secretary,  the  Hon.  Walter 
Lowrie,  and  we  tender  to  him  our  heartfelt  thanks 
and  sympathy,  praying  that  the  Gfospel  he  has  striven 
for  so  many  years  to  make  known  to  the  perishing 
may  be  his  all-sufficient  consolation  in  his  declining 
years ;  and  that,  in  God' s  own  good  time,  he  may 
have  an  abundant  entrance  ministered  to  him  into 
the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Cbrist." 

THE   LAST   ILLNESS   AND   DEATH. 

In  the  declining  weeks  of  his  life  the  health  of  Mr. 
Lowrie  became  more  and  more  feeble ;  it  had  been 
remarkably  vigorous  in  his  early  and  middle-aged 
years.  He  continued  to  enjoy  the  affectionate  min- 
istries of  his  family  and  friends,  and  to  manifest  his 
usual  interest  in  the  cause  of  Missions,  until  within  a 
short  time  of  his  departure.  He  then  met  with  a  fall 
on  a  stairway  of  his  house,  which  soon  afterwards 
showed  that  there  was  severe  concussion  of  the  brain, 
attended  with  increasing  weakness  ;  but  there  was  no 
want  of  love  and  sympathy  for  his  family.  There 
was  no  impatience,  and  no  word  ever  spoken  that  his 
friends  would  regret  to  hear.  His  worldly  affairs  had 
been  all  arranged,  including  a  liberal  bequest  to  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  A  touching  incident 
occurred  after  he  had  become  so  weak  that  one  of 
his  sons  usually  sat  up  with  him  for  the  night.  At 
about  two  o'clock,  when  all  was  quiet  and  still,  he 
began  to  speak — evidently  under  the  impression  that 


170  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

he  was  in  a  Council  of  Indian  Chiefs  and  others.  He 
continued  to  speak,  keeping  steadily  on  for  ten  or 
twelve  minutes  ;  his  line  of  remarks  showed  his  usual 
good  sense,  and  his  deep  feeling  as  to  their  welfare 
was  evident.  He  entreated  them  to  give  heed  to  the 
instructions  of  the  missionaries,  their  best  friends  ; 
to  secure  the  education  of  their  children  ;  to  make  a 
good  use  of  their  Christian  privileges  ;  especially  to 
look  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  their  personal 
Saviour.  His  voice  was  gradually  becoming  feebler, 
until  his  remarks  were  ended.  It  was  an  address 
never  to  be  forgotten  by  his  only  hearer. 

Not  entering  on  other  particulars  of  his  last  illness, 
it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  his  last  days  were  in  keep- 
ing with  his  life.  He  entered  into  rest,  December 
14th,  1868,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 
"Blessed  are  the  dead,  which  die  in  the  Lord,  from 
henceforth :  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest 
from  their  labours  ;  and,  their  works  do  follow  them." 

Memorial  action  was  taken  in  reference  to  the  de- 
parture from  this  life  of  Mr.  Lowrie,  by  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  ;  by 
the  Presbytery  of  New  York,  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected as  an  Elder  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  ; 
by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  at  its  annual 
meeting ;  and  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  at  its  following  sessions  in  1869. 

The  minutes  of  the  Executive  Committee  are  here 
inserted,  as  representing  the  views  of  the  excellent 
and  distinguished  men  with  whom  he  had  been  in 
weekly  conference  for  so  many  years : 

Minute  of  the  Executive  Committee,  on  the  death 
of  Mr.  Lowrie,  adopted  at  their  meeting,  December 
28th,  1868: 


LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH.  171 

It  is  with  feelings  of  mournful  interest  that  this 
Committee  records  this  last  Minute  in  reference  to 
the  Hon.  Walter  Lowrie,  who  fell  asleep  in  Jesus 
and  entered  into  his  rest  on  the  14th  of  December, 
1868. 

In  view  of  the  departure  of  one  who,  as  the  Corres- 
ponding Secretary  of  this  Board,  has  been  so  inti- 
mately identified  with  all  its  interests  for  a  period  of 
thirty  years,  and  to  whose  wise  and  efficient  adminis- 
tration it  is  indebted  so  largely  for  its  present 
measures  of  prosperity — be  it  Resolved, 

T.sl.  That  whilst  we  bow  submissively  to  this  mani- 
festation of  the  Divine  will,  we  cannot  but  mourn  the 
loss  of  one  whom  we  all  loved  and  revered,  and  to 
whom,  even  amidst  the  infirmities  of  age,  we  always 
looked  for  wise  counsel  and  safe  guidance. 

2d.  That  we  record  our  high  estimate  of  the  ability 
with  which  he  managed  the  affairs  of  this  Board  ;  of 
the  indefatigable  industry  with  which  he  prosecuted 
its  interests  ;  of  the  wisdom  with  which  he  guided  its 
policy  in  times  of  difficulty ;  of  the  humble,  earnest 
and  prayerful  confidence  with  which  he  always  car- 
ried forward  the  work  ;  of  the  pursuasive  and  effective 
eloquence  with  which  he  urged  the  claims  of  missions 
upon  the  churches  ;  and  of  the  self-denial  to  which  he 
submitted  in  sacrificing  high  secular  position,  in  con- 
secrating his  fortune  and  life,  and  giving  his  children 
to  be  labourers  in  the  great  work  of  the  world's  evan- 
gelization. 

3d.  That  we  recognize  in  his  death  a  renewed  call 
of  Divine  providence  to  this  Board  to  be  earnest  and 
faithful ;  and  to  the  churches  to  stand  firmly  by  the 
cause  of  missions,  and  by  increased  effort  and 
enlarged  contributions,  to  carry  forward  the  work, 


172  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

until  the  Gospel  is  preached  for  a  witness  to  all 
nations. 

4th.  That  we  express  to  his  bereaved  family  our 
tenderest  sympathy,  and  the  assurance  of  our  earnest 
prayers,  that  whilst  God  sanctifies  this  affliction  to 
their  good,  He  may  also  fill  their  hearts  with  all  the 
consolations  of  His  grace,  and  lead  them,  by  an 
imitation  of  an  example  so  fragrant  with  blessed 
memories,  to  the  same  benevolent  consecration  and 
the  same  undying  reward. 

It  was  further  directed  that  a  copy  of  this  Minute 
be  sent  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Lowrie,  and  that  it  be 
published  in  the  fiecord  and  Foreign  Missionary, 
and  other  papers. 


fn  flfcemorfam: 
THE  ADDRESS 

DELIVEEED   AT  THE 
FUNERAL  OF  HON.    WALTER  LOWRIE, 

IN  THE 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH, 
NEW  YORK,    DECEMBER    16,    1868. 

BY   THE 
REV.    WM.    M.    PAXTON,    D.D., 

PASTOR   OF  SAID   CHURCH. 

PUBLISHED  BY  REQUEST  OF  THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 
OF  THE  BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 


ADDEESS. 

"  How  beautiful  it  is  for  man  to  die 
Upon  the  walls  of  Zion,  to  be  called 
Like  a  watchworn  and  weary  sentinel 
To  put  his  armor  off  and  rest — in  Heaven/' 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from  hence- 
forth :  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their 
labours  ;  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 

"  Thou  shalt  come  to  thy  grave  in  a  full  age,  like  as  a 
shock  of  corn  cometh  in  in  his  season." 

SUCH  was  the  death  of  our  departed  father.  He 
had  long  stood  as  a  sentinel  upon  the  watch-tower  ; 
and  ever  and  anon,  through  the  hours  of  the  dreary 
night,  lie  had  answered  the  inquiry,  "Watchman, 
what  of  the  night  ? "  and  now,  watchworn  and  weary, 
just  as  the  harbingers  of  the  dawn  are  changing  into 
the  promise  of  noonday,  he  puts  his  armor  off,  "  and 
lies  down  to  quiet  dreams." 

His  watch  has  ended,  and  so  the  Lord  hath  given 
"his  beloved  sleep."  Blessed  death!  He  "died  in 
the  Lord,"  and  now,  resting  from  his  long  life  of 
labour,  "HIS  WOEKS," — his  work  of  self-sacrifice  for 
Christ ;  his  work  of  diligent  toil,  as  he  gathered  with 
Him  in  the  harvest ;  his  work  of  unflinching  fidelity, 
as  he  stood  with  Him  in  the  battle, — follow  after  him, 
not  as  the  ground  of  merit,  but  as  the  witness  of  his 
fidelity,  and  as  the  measure  to  indicate  the  propor- 
tion of  his  reward. 


176  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

He  was  favored  with  a  long  life  of  uninterrupted 
usefulness,  and  now,  in  full  age,  with  the  ripe  fruit- 
age of  fourscore  years  around  him,  he  has  come  to  his 
grave,  like  a  shock  of  corn  in  his  season. 

Few  men  are  permitted  as  he  was  to  finish  his 
course  and  fulfill  his  mission.  Human  life  is  but  a 
record  of  purposes  broken  off  in  the  midst,  and  of  the 
unwrought  projects  of  usefulness  suddenly  arrested. 
David  had  it  in  his  heart  to  build  the  temple  ;  but  he 
was  to  die  before  his  work  was  fulfilled.  Moses  and 
Aaron  were  charged  with  the  work  of  leading  the 
tribes  through  the  perils  of  the  wilderness  into  the 
promised  land ;  but  they  had  to  rest  from  their 
labours  ere  the  work  was  accomplished.  And  so  it 
often  is.  The  young  man  is  stricken  in  the  dew  of 
his  youth,  with  the  vision  of  life  just  opening  before 
him  ;  the  husbandman  is  called  to  leave  his  plow  in 
the  furrow ;  the  artist  to  leave  his  half -formed 
picture  on  the  canvass ;  the  merchant  to  leave  his 
business,  when  fortune  is  hovering  before  his  grasp  ; 
and  the  minister  to  vacate  his  pulpit,  while  yet  his 
heart  is  yearning  to  gather  sheaves  into  the  garner. 
But  to  our  departed  father  it  was  given  to  labour  to 
the  last  shades  of  evening,  and  to  see  the  great  work 
to  which  he  had  given  the  vigor  of  his  life,  rise  from 
the  smallest  beginning,  through  perils  and  difficul- 
ties, into  prosperous  operation  and  vigorous  estab- 
lishment ;  and  then,  with  the  promise  of  higher 
success  rising  before  him,  just  as  the  door  of  access 
to  the  whole  heathen  world  is  open,  he  is  permitted 
to  draw  the  drapery  of  his  couch  around  him  and 
say,  "Lord,  now lettest  Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in 
peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation."  If, 
when  he  commenced  this  work,  so  feeble  and  discour- 


IN  MEMORIAM.  177 

aging  in  its  incipiency,  it  had  been  given  him  to 
know  that  he  would  live  to  see  its  present  measure  of 
success,  he  would  doubtless  have  said,  "This  is  all 
my  desire."  In  a  modified  sense,  he  might,  like  the 
Master  Himself,  have  said,  as  he  laid  down  his  armor, 
"I  have  glorified  Thee  on  the  earth  ;  I  have  finished 
the  work  Thou  gavest  me  to  do." 

And  now  having,  like  David,  "served  his  genera- 
tion by  the  will  of  God  "  —he  has  fallen  asleep. 

We  cannot  look  upon  such  a  long  life  of  Christian 
action  and  benevolent  labour, — without  a  blemish  to 
impair  his  usefulness  or  mar  his  memory,  terminated 
only  by  the  decay  of  nature,  and  closing  in  the  peace 
and  quietude  of  happy  death, — without  the  pro- 
foundest  satisfaction.  Next  to  the  Bible,  A  GOOD 
MAN  is  one  of  God's  best  gifts  to  the  world.  He  is 
the  salt  that  counteracts  its  corruption  ;  the  leaven 
that  is  to  interpenetrate  the  masses  with  vital  and 
saving  influence ;  the  light  to  dissipate  darkness ; 
the  mirror  to  reflect  the  image  of  God  ;  a  fountain  of 
living  waters ;  a  source  of  blessed  and  beneficent 
influence  in  the  whole  sphere  of  his  life  and  action. 

When  a  good  man  dies,  we  feel  his  loss,  the  World 
feels  it,  for  one  on  whose  account  God  loves  the  world 
is  taken  away ;  the  Nation  feels  it,  for  one  who  was 
its  strength  and  security  is  removed.  When  Elisha 
looked  with  streaming  eyes  after  the  ascending 
prophet  and  exclaimed,  "My  Father,  my  Father,  the 
chariot  of  Israel,  and  the  horsemen  thereof,"  he 
uttered  in  reference  to  Elijah  what  is  true  in  reference 
to  every  good  man,  that  he  is  of  more  value  to  the 
nation  than  munitions  of  war ;  a  better  protection 
than  chariots  and  horsemen.  But,  above  all,  the 
Church  feels  the  good  man's  loss  ;  a  voice  that  prayed 


178  MEMOIRS  OF   WALTER  LOWRIE. 

for  Zion  is  hushed,  a  tongue  that  testified  for  Jesus 
is  silenced,  a  mind  that  thought  for  Jesus  sleeps,  a 
heart  that  cherished  the  solicitudes  of  the  kingdom 
and  travailed  in  birth  for  souls  is  stilled,  a  star  that 
shone  upon  our  darkness  is  extinguished,  a  fountain 
that  refreshed  the  desert  is  dried  up.  But  no — death 
does  not  extinguish  the  good  man's  influence.  Thou- 
sands that  are  in  their  graves  to-day  are  working  in 
the  memories  of  the  living  and  producing  great 
effects.  There  are  men  who  have  long  since  mould- 
ered to  ashes  with  whose  names  we  may  electrify  a 
nation  and  thrill  the  world.  The  dead  rule  the  liv- 
ing. Our  deeds  live  after  us,  rise  again  and  repro- 
duce themselves  by  the  agency  of  minds  which  we 
have  helped  to  form,  minds  which  will  form  their  like 
in  never-ending  succession.  Does  not  Walter  Lowrie 
still  live?  live  in  the  spirit  of  missions,  live  in  the 
scores  of  missionaries  who  caught  from  him  the  spark 
of  glowing  zeal ;  a  spark  which  has  kindled  into  a 
flame  and  is  now  burning  with  a  steady  and  ever- 
extending  brightness  over  the  heathen  world,  and 
which  will  cast  its  blessed  radiance  upon  generations 
yet  unborn. 

HE    BEING    DEAD    YET    SPEAKETH.         Let     US    then 

listen  to  the  voice  which  speaks  to  us  from  out  the 
events  of  his  well-spent  life. 

Walter  Lowrie  was  born  in  Scotland,  in  the  City 
of  Edinburgh,  on  the  10th  of  December,  1784.  At 
the  age  of  eight  years  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
America. 

The  family  located  first  in  Huntingdon  County, 
Penn.,  but  shortly  after  removed  to  Butler  County, 
where  they  made  their  permanent  residence. 

Walter  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm,  performing 


Itf  MEMORIAM.  179 

such  labour  as  the  necessities  of  the  times  demanded, 
and  enjoying  nothing  more  in  the  way  of  education 
than  the  home  instruction  of  winter  nights,  with  the 
addition  perhaps  of  an  occasional  quarter's  schooling 
under  the  direction  of  the  itinerant  teachers  of  those 
early  times.  His  early  instruction  in  the  principles 
and  practice  of  religion  was  of  the  most  thorough 
and  accurate  character.  His  parents  were  both  pious, 
and  Presbyterians  of  that  genuine  intelligent  school 
who  believe  in  the  Westminster  Confession  and  Cate- 
chism, as  the  best  exposition  of  the  truths  of  the 
Bible ;  and  in  the  covenant  obligation  which  rests 
upon  parents  to  train  their  children  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 

His  conversion  to  God  occurred  in  his  eighteenth 
year,  during  the  prevalence  of  those  early  revivals  in 
western  Pennsylvania,  which  were  distinguished  by 
what  was  commonly  called  "the  falling  exercise." 
He  always  spoke  with  much  interest  of  his  recollec- 
tions of  those  times,  and  described  his  own  incipient 
experiences  of  religion  as  connected  with  these 
strange  exercises. 

One  of  the  first  evidences  of  the  existence  of 
genuine  piety  in  his  heart,  was  an  earnest  desire  to 
become  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  With  this  view  he 
commenced  a  course  of  study  under  the  direction  of 
the  Rev.  John  McPherrin,  the  first  Presbyterian 
minister  in  Butler  County.  In  the  pursuit  of  knowl- 
edge he  manifested  the  same  diligence  and  persever- 
ing determination  which  has  given  success  to  his 
whole  life.  After  making  some  proficiency  in  Latin, 
he  determined  to  commence  the  study  of  Greek,  and, 
as  Greek  books  were  at  that  time  very  rare,  he  per- 
formed a  journey  of  thirty  miles  on  foot  to  procure  a 


180  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWR1E. 

Greek  lexicon.  By  persevering  industry  lie  attained 
to  a  knowledge  of  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew  which 
would  put  to  shame  many  who  have  all  the  advan- 
tages of  an  Academic  education.  Providential  circum- 
stances, however,  hindered  the  fulfillment  of  his  pur- 
pose to  become  a  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  but  with  the 
same  determination  to  devote  his  life  to  the  glory  of 
God,  he  entered  upon  other  pursuits.  His  secular 
life  was  such  as  to  win  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
the  whole  community  in  which  he  lived.  Accord- 
ingly, in  1811,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  he  was 
elected  as  the  Representative  of  that  district  in  the 
Senate  of  Pennsylvania.  This  honourable  station  he 
held  for  seven  years,  during  which  time  he  rose  to 
such  a  position  in  the  confidence  of  the  people  of  the 
whole  State,  that  in  1818  he  was  elected  as  the  Repre- 
sentative of  Pennsylvania  in  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States.  In  this  position  of  honour,  second  only  to  that 
of  President  or  Yice-President,  he  continued  for  six 
years. 

This  was  a  period  of  great  interest  in  the  history 
of  our  country,  owing  to  the  importance  of  the  meas- 
ures then  agitated,  and  the  great  men  whose  influence 
guided  the  councils  of  the  nation,  Webster,  Clay, 
Calhoun,  Randolph,  Benton,  and  many  others  scarcely 
less  illustrious,  were  members  of  the  Senate,  and 
their  great  powers  were  put  forth  in  the  discussion  of 
the  measure  well  known  as  the  "Missouri  Com- 
promise." 

Among  these  distinguished  Senators  Walter 
Lowrie  occupied  a  position  of  honourable  prominence. 
His  great  integrity  won  their  confidence,  whilst  his 
peculiar  sagacity  and  practical  judgment  led  them  to 
seek  his  advice  and  rely  upon  his  opinions.  I  am 


22f  MEMORIAM.  181 

informed,  by  one  who  was  present  at  that  time,  that 
he  was  regarded  by  the  Senators  who  knew  him  best 
as  an  authority  upon  all  questions  of  political  history 
and  constitutional  law. 

During  the  discussion  of  the  Missouri  Compromise 
he  made  a  speech,  which  is  described  as  one  of  great 
power  and  force  of  argument,  in  which  he  took  strong 
grounds  against  the  extension  of  slavery,  and  uttered 
his  strong  protest  against  the  establishment  of  slave 
labour  upon  a  single  foot  of  free  territory. 

But  his  influence  in  the  Senate  was  not  only  that 
of  a  statesman,  but  also  of  a  Christian.  He  had 
been  ordained  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Butler,  and  when  he  went  to  the  capitol 
he  carried  with  him  the  savour  of  vital  godliness.  He, 
with  Harmer  Denny,  Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  and 
other  pious  Senators  and  Representatives,  founded 
the  Congressional  Prayer-meeting,  which  has  ever 
since  mingled  the  influences  of  prayer  and  faith  with 
the  councils  of  the  nation.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Congressional  Temperance  Society, 
and  was  for  a  long  time  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  American  Colonization  Society. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service  as  Senator, 
he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  Senate  of  the  Un 
States,  in  which  office  he  continued  for  a  period  of 
twelve  years.  During  this  term  of  his  public  life,  the 
Providence  of  God  was  preparing  him  for  another 
sphere. 

As  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  the  United  States 
Senate  on  Indian  Affairs,  he  became  deeply  interested 
in  the  condition  of  the  savage  tribes,  and  much  con- 
cerned  for  their  spiritual  welfare.  About  the  same 
time  his  eldest  son  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of 


182  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

missions,  and  embarked  with  his  father's  benediction 
to  the  mission  field  in  India.  In  this  way  his  heart 
was  enlisted,  first,  for  the  Indians  upon  our  own 
border,  and  then,  for  the  heathen  in  distant  climes, 
whither  his  son  had  gone  with  the  word  of  life. 

Simultaneous  with  this  was  an  ordering  of  Divine 
providence  by  which  he  became  deeply  interested  in 
the  study  of  the  Chinese  language.  It  seemed  singu- 
lar to  see  a  statesman,  amid  the  cares  and  labours  of 
public  life,  rising  two  hours  earlier  in  the  morning  to 
study  the  language  of  a  people  so  distant  from  us, 
and  in  so  little  sympathy  with  ourselves.  But  such 
was  the  ordering  of  that  strange  providence,  which 
leads  us  in  a  way  that  we  know  not.  Whilst  God, 
by  this  combination  of  circumstances,  was  preparing 
him  for  his  future  work,  he  was  at  the  same  time  pre- 
paring the  place  which  he  was  to  occupy.  A  small 
missionary  society,  supported  by  a  few  synods  in  the 
West,  had  been  organized  in  Pittsburgh ;  but  its 
patronage  was  small  and  its  sphere  limited.  This 
society,  however,  under  the  efficient  direction  of  Dr. 
Swift,  its  first  secretary,  awakened  such  an  interest 
in  missions  as  led  to  a  general  desire  that  the  work 
should  be  undertaken  by  the  General  Assembly  upon 
a  larger  scale,  and  in  behalf  of  the  whole  Church. 
When  at  length  it  was  determined  to  extend  the  mis- 
sion work  and  prosecute  it  with  more  vigor,  and  the 
question  arose,  "who  shall  take  the  superintendence 
of  this  great  interest,"  the  same  providence,  which 
had  prepared  the  heart  of  Walter  Lowrie  for  the 
work,  directed  to  his  election. 

Obedient  to  this  call,  he  resigned  his  office  in  the 
Senate  in  1836,  and  entered  upon  this  new  and  untried 
field  of  consecrated  labour.  The  office  which  he  held 


IN  MEMORIAM.  183 

in  the  Senate  was  of  such  a  confidential  and  respon- 
sible character,  that  it  was  unaffected  by  the  changes 
of  administration  in  the  Government.  He  had  but 
two  predecessors  in  office,  and  both  held  the  trust 
until  death.  His  resignation  of  a  position  so  honour- 
able, so  lucrative,  and  which  he  could  have  held  for 
life,  was  the  occasion  of  much  surprise  ;  and  when  he 
was  asked  why  he  did  it,  he  replied,  "that  he  chose 
the  place  in  which  there  would  be  the  most  sacrifice 
and  the  best  prospect  of  usefulness  for  Christ."  The 
spirit  with  which  he  thus  entered  upon  his  under- 
taking was  in  itself  the  augury  of  success.  The  work 
was  new,  and  encompassed  on  every  side  with  diffi- 
culties. The  Church  was  to  be  aroused,  the  spirit  of 
missions  enkindled,  the  system  of  operation  was  to 
be  organized,  fields  of  labour  to  be  sought,  missionaries 
to  be  prepared,  and  the  whole  plan  and  policy  of  a 
vast  system,  encompassing  the  ends  of  the  earth,  to 
be  arranged  and  perfected.  But  to  this  work  he 
brought  a  heart  prepared  of  God,  a  mind  matured 
and  disciplined  by  action  in  difficult  fields  of  thought, 
and  experience  developed  by  varied  contact  with  the 
world,  and  a  knowlege  of  business  arrangement 
acquired  in  the  diversified  functions  of  his  secular 
experience. 

His  wisdom  and  executive  capacity  in  the  office 
were  only  equalled  by  his  power  to  enlist  attention 
and  awaken  interest  in  behalf  of  his  cause.  With  no 
pretension  to  oratory,  he  went  before  the  people  in 
the  most  humble  way,  presenting  in  a  conversational 
style  his  simple  statement ;  but,  warming  with  the 
deep  interest  of  his  theme,  he  grew  eloquent,  and 
seldom  closed  without  riveting  his  subject  upon  the 
conscience,  or  moving  his  audience  to  tears. 


184  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

He  had  wise  and  able  counsellors  in  the  Board  and 
in  the  Executive  Committee,  and  often  the  assistance 
of  the  most  eloquent  voices  in  the  Church  to  commend 
his  cause  ;  but,  during  the  whole  thirty  years  of  his 
incumbency,  Walter  Lowrie  was  himself  the  efficient 
head  of  the  missionary  work,  and  the  controlling 
power  in  its  administration. 

I  need  scarcely  indicate  the  results. 

The  cause  of  missions  is  securely  established  in  the 
confidence  and  affection  of  the  Church.  Its  policy  is 
settled,  its  missionaries  have  gone  forth  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth — to  the  savages  in  our  own  wilderness, 
to  India,  Siam,  China,  Japan,  Africa,  South  America, 
to  the  Papal  countries  of  Europe^  and  to  God's 
ancient  people,  the  Jews. 

With  a  success  that  might  well  compensate  for  a 
life  of  toil,  with  the  ripe  fruitage  of  his  work  before 
him,  Walter  Lowrie  laid  himself  down  to  rest,  and 
now  sleeps  in  Jesus. 

As  we  review  his  record  and  estimate  his  character, 
its  first  and  leading  feature  is — CONSECRATION,  SELF- 
SACRIFICING  CONSECRATION  TO  THE  GLORY  OF  GOD  IN 

THE  WORLD'S  EVANGELIZATION. 

No  one  who  knew  him  ever  doubted  that  he  had  any 
chief  aim  but  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  whole  plan  and 
action  of  his  life.  He  had  learned,  by  a  deep  experi- 
ence, that  he  was  not  his  own,  but  bought  with  a 
price ;  and  therefore  he  sought  to  glorify  God  in  his 
body  and  spirit.  To  this  his  consecration  was  entire. 
He  could  say  with  as  much  truth  as  Paul,  "This  one 
thing  I  do."  No  man  ever  devoted  himself  with  a 
more  entire  concentration  to  any  one  work  than  did 
Walter  Lowrie  to  the  work  of  Missions.  He  gave  to 
this  one  thing  his  whole  heart,  soul,  mind  and  strength. 


IN  MEMORIAM.  185 

His  devotion,  too,  was  marked  by  SELF-SACEIFICE. 
He  sacrificed  political  distinction,  civil  station,  ease, 
emolument,  personal  preferment ;  in  a  word,  every- 
thing that  the  world  calls  gain3  he  counted  loss  for 
the  glory  of  Christ  in  the  work  of  missions. 

He  was  never  willing  to  receive  in  the  way  of  salary 
as  much  as  the  Board  was  willing  to  give  him.  He 
used  his  private  means  first,  and  whatever  more  was 
necessary  to  meet  his  expenses,  that  much,  and  no 
more,  would  he  receive  in  the  way  of  compensation. 
For  the  last  few  years,  if  I  mistake  not,  he  declined 
receiving  any  salary  whatever. 

But  his  chief  sacrifice  was  the  surrender  of  his 
sons  to  labour,  and  some  of  them  to  die  in  the  mission- 
ary field.  His  third  son,  Rev.  Walter  M.  Lowrie, 
having  caught  from  his  father  the  spirit  of  zeal  and 
consecration,  was  among  the  first  missionaries  who 
sailed  to  China  under  the  care  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board.  After  a  short  period  of  effective  labour,  he  fell 
a  martyr  under  the  murderous  hands  of  Chinese 
pirates  on  the  18th  of  August,  1847.  "  He  was  a  man 
of  eminent  talents,  an  accomplished  scholar,  an  able 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  a  faithful  and  devoted 
missionary." 

His  fourth  son,  Rev.  Reuben  Lowrie,  who  through 
all  his  early  education  had  looked  forward  to  an 
association  with  his  brother  in  the  missionary  field, 
was  happily  prepared  both  by  providence  and  grace 
to  step  forward  and  fill  the  place  made  vacant  by  the 
death  of  his  lamented  brother.  But  he  also,  after  a 
short  period  of  six  years  labour,  fell  a  sacrifice  to 
assiduous  work  and  the  enervating  effect  of  an  un- 
propitious  climate.  His  brother  missionaries  speak 
of  him  as  "  a  man  of  fine  talent,  earnest  piety,  sound 


186  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

scholarship  and  unwavering  devotedness  to  the  early- 
formed  purpose  of  his  life,  even  amid  the  ravages  of 
disease." 

His  eldest  son,  Dr.  John  C.  Lowrie,  of  whose 
earlier  devotion  to  missions  we  have  already  spoken, 
as  having  drawn  his  father' s  heart  into  a  closer  sym- 
pathy with  this  great  work,  after  a  period  of  labour  in 
India,  was  compelled  to  return  with  shattered  health, 
but  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  same  work  at  home. 

But,  passing  from  these  recitals  of  self-sacrifice,  we 
may  designate  as  a  second  marked  characteristic  of 
our  lamented  secretary — His  ABIDING  CONFIDENCE  IN 
THE  SUCCESS  OF  MISSIONS,  AS  FOUNDED  UPON  THE 
DIVINE  PROMISE. 

He  evinced  the  deepest  conviction  of  the  perishing 
condition  of  the  heathen,  and  of  the  necessity  of  the 
Gospel,  not  simply  to  ameliorate  their  condition,  but 
as  absolutely  necessary  to  their  salvation.  Persuaded 
that  the  ascending  Master  had  devolved  upon  the 
Church  the  duty  of  sending  this  Gospel  as  the  ap- 
pointed means  of  salvation  into  all  the  world,  he 
never  doubted  for  a  moment  its  ultimate  success.  He 
went  forward  with  the  confidence  of  a  man  who  knew 
God' s  purpose  and  who  meant  to  fulfill  it.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  enthroned  Mediator  governs  the  world 
in  the  interest  of  His  Church,  and  that,  therefore,  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become  the  kingdoms 
of  our  Lord  and  of  His  Christ. 

In  this  confidence  he  walked  by  faith,  and  to  him 
it  was  as  clear  an  evidence  as  if  he  had  beheld  by 
sight  the  end  for  which  he  hoped. 

A  third  feature  of  his  life  work  is — THE  PER- 
SEVERING DILIGENCE  WITH  WHICH  HE  EMPLOYED 
MEANS  FOR  THE  SUCCESS  OF  HIS  UNDERTAKING. 


W  MEMOR1AM.  187 

His  faith  was  no  indolent  repose  in  the  Divine 
sovereignty  and  efficiency ;  but  a  vigorous  effort  to 
obtain  G-od's  help,  in  the  use  of  the  means  of  His 
appointment. 

He  believed  that  as  human  hands  must  roll  away 
the  stone  from  the  grave  of  Lazarus  before  Jesus 
called  him  to  life,  so  human  work  must  do  what  it 
can  for  the  heathen,  and  when  thus  done,  in  believing 
expectation,  Jesus  will  speak  the  word  of  power  that 
will  raise  the  dead.  Hence  all  his  plans  contemplated 
work,  diligent,  persevering  worTc.  He  worked  him- 
self, worked  unceasingly,  and  expected  others  to  be 
diligent,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

But  the  fourth  and  perhaps  the  chief  distinction 
in  our  departed  father  was — THE  CHAEACTER  OF  HIS 
RELIGION.  It  was  a  religion  of  PRINCIPLE.  He  acted 
from  a  conviction  of  right  and  duty,  and  at  the  point 
of  his  conscience.  He  was  never  carried  away  by 
emotion.  He  had  the  tenderest  sympathy  for  the 
suffering,  and  always  melted  when  he  spoke  of  the 
love  of  Jesus  :  but  he  never  suffered  his  emotions  to 
sway  his  judgment. 

He  was  never  influenced  by  excitement,  or  carried 
away  from  his  position  by  epidemical  impulses.  He 
had  a  calm  mind,  a  clear  discrimination,  a  sagacity 
that  perceived  the  truth  amidst  much  mist  and  con- 
fusion, a  judgment  of  men  and  things,  cautious 
indeed,  but  certain  in  its  conclusions,  and  therefore 
firm  and  persistent  in  their  maintenance.  It  was  this 
that  made  him  a  man  of  decision  and  will.  His 
simple  question  was,  What  is  truth,  what  is  duty? 
and  when  this  was  ascertained,  he  knew  of  no  motives 
of  policy  or  expediency  to  make  him  halt  or  swerve 
in  his  course  of  action. 


188  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

It  was  this  that  gave  him  power.  He  was  a  man 
to  mould  circumstances,  and  not  to  be  moulded  by 
them.  This  is  indeed  the  element  of  all  true  great- 
ness. A  goodly  purpose,  influenced  by  benevolent 
feeling,  under  the  guidance  of  a  clear  judgment  and 
a  resistless  will,  forms  the  men  who  make  their  mark 
upon  the  age,  and  carry  forward  great  enterprises  to 
successful  completion. 

But  time  would  fail  to  amplify  further  this  review 
of  his  life  and  character. 

He  is  gone,  and  we  miss  him — miss  him  not  only 
in  the  Board,  in  which  he  was  the  presiding  genius, 
but  we  miss  him  in  this  church  of  which  he  has  been 
for  so  many  years  the  beloved  and  venerated  elder  ; 
miss  him  in  the  social  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, who  delighted  to  pay  him  reverence  ;  miss  him 
in  his  family,  where  he  was  the  centre  of  interest  and 
affection,  and  where,  most  of  all,  they  mourn  that  he 
is  not. 

Many  a  heart  is  saddened  by  his  departure  ;  many 
a  missionary  family  scattered  over  the  earth  will 
weep  tears  of  sorrow  when  these  tidings  reach  their 
distant  homes. 

BUT  BEING  DEAD,  HE   YET   SPEAKETH. 

HE  SPEAKS  TO  THE  CHUKCH — summoning  it  to 
carry  on  the  work  which  he  has  begun  ;  to  stand  by 
the  Board,  and  by  increased  contributions  to  enable 
it,  not  only  to  sustain  the  labourers  now  in  the  field, 
but  to  carry  forward  the  standard  and  place  it  upon 
the  outmost  wall. 

HE  SPEAKS  TO  THE  BOAED — to  the  men  who  stood 
around  him  in  the  darker  hours  of  the  night,  and 
says,  as  it  were,  "Brethren,  be  faithful  unto  death." 

HE  SPEAKS  TO  THE  MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  FIELD — 


IN  MEMORIAM.  189 

encouraging  them  in  the  conflict  with  the  powers  of 
darkness.  As  the  Scottish  chief  who  had  fallen  in 
the  battle,  when  he  saw  his  lines  waver,  arose  upon 
his  elbow,  and,  as  the  blood  poured  from  his  wounds, 
exclaimed,  "Children,  I  am  not  dead,  I  am  with  you 
still,"  so  it  would  seem  if  our  departed  missionary 
chieftain  was  saying  with  his  dying  breath,  "Chil- 
dren, I  am  with  you  still.  Stand  fast  in  the  battle. 
Scale  every  wall.  Pull  down  every  stronghold,  and 
let  no  man  be  wanting  now,  when  the  cry  goes  out, 
To  the  help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord 
against  the  mighty." 


INDEX. 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY:  Page 

Born  in  Edinburgh,  1784 — Notices  of  Family     .  1 

Emigrated  to  America,  1792,  and  Settled  in  Penn- 
sylvania    .  .  .  .  .  .2 

Winter  Travelling  in  the  Allegheny  Mountains  .  4 

Farming  Life  and  Mills;  Eeligious  Privileges  Lim- 
ited .  .  .  .  .  .6-7 

Unusual  Keligious  Actions,  Known  as  "  the  Falling 
Exercises,"  on  which  see  his  Eemarks  .  7-8-10 

DIVINE  EEVELATION          ....  32-81 

PUBLIC  OE  Civic  LIFE: 

Notices  of  Mr.  Lowrie's  Services  at  Harrisburgh  and 
Washington     .....    20-26 

FAMILY  LIFE: 

Withdrawal  from  Congress     .  .  .  .28 

Death  of  Mrs.  Lowrie         ....          28 

FOREIGN  MISSIONS: 

MISSIONS  TO  EASTERN  ASIA:  Farewell  Counsels  82-96 
MISSIONS  TO  AFRICA:  Farewell  Counsels  .  97-108 

Missionary  Secretaryship  ....  109 
Years  of  Special  Interest  ....  112 
Offices  of  the  Board  Kemoved  to  New  York  .  113 

-•Visits  to  Southern  Churches         .  .  .        115 

Mission  Funds  Faithfully  Applied     .  .  .  116 

Extracts  from  Annual  Eeports      .  .  118-121 

Gospel  Preached  by  Native  Converts  .  .121 

Missionaries  to  China  in  1844  122 


192  MEMOIRS  OF  WALTER  LOWRIE. 

Shipwreck  in  Chinese  Seas      ....  124 

v»      Walter  M.  Lowrie  Murdered  by  Chinese  Pirates  .        125 
His  Memoirs     ......  126 

Missions  in  Siam  and  Laos  .  .  .        127 

Mission  to  the  Jews     .....  128 

Mission  "Work  in  Papal  Europe     .  .  .        130 

'Missions  to  American  Indians  .  .       134-159 

MISCELLANEOUS: 

Collecting  Agents  or  Field  Secretaries     .  .        160 

A  Good  Working  Plan  .  .  .  .161 

Deputations  to  the  Missions          .  .  .        162 

Mission  House  Library  ....  164 

Children's  Fund      .....        165 

Ee-election  as  Secretary  Declined       .  .  .167 

The  Board's  Minute  .  .  .  .167 

General  Assembly's  Minute     .  .  .  .168 

Mr.  Lowrie's  Illness  and  Death     .  .  .        169 

Memorial  Action          .....  170 

The  Executive  Committee's  Minute,  December  28, 
1868         .  .  .  .  .  .171 

IN  MEMORIAM: 

An  Address  Delivered  at  the  Funeral  of  the  Hon. 
Walter  Lowrie,  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
New  York,  December  16, 1868,  by  the  Kev.  William 
M.  Paxton,  D.D.,  Published  by  Eequest  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  ......  173 


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